Day 7 ~ How to write a “What if . . . I might” Poem for #NationalPoetryMonth - "30 poems in 30 days"

Day 7 ~ How to write a “What if . . . I might” Poem

Yesterday’s autobiographical poems were so interesting and fun. This one is super easy – it’s basically a “finish the sentence” type of poetry form. Even so, I think you will be pleased and surprised at the results! 

A seven-line poem for Day 7 ~ This is a poem that will get you thinking of many possibilities; some thoughtful, others silly, some adventurous, or even fanciful, some surprisingly profound. Let your imagination go or reach deep into your heart. 

SEVEN LINES:

Fill in the blanks any way you want – changing the words you can create dozens of poems.

Line #1:  What if ____________________________
Line #2:  I might ____________________________

(leave a space between lines 2 & 3)
 

Line #3:  What if ____________________________
Line #4:  I could _____________________________

(leave a space between lines 4 & 5)

Line #5:  What if ____________________________
Line #6:  I would_____________________________

(leave a space between lines 6 & 7)
 

Line #7:  Ask a question.

Have fun!!

HERE ARE MY EXAMPLES – (from a few years ago – if I get some new ones written, I’ll come back and add them in or even exchange them. We’ll see. But I wanted to get the post ready for everyone else! Cheers!!)

I wanted to write new examples for this year, but, as sometimes happens, I am running behind and these examples give you a good enough idea. I’m anxious to see what you come up with though!! Cheers!!

The first one is silly: 

What if I danced in the rain?

I might get a little bit wet.

What if I sang at the top of my lungs?

I could land a singing contract, I bet.

What if I went back inside and sat down?

I would never know what I might do.

I wonder, would you be so bold, if it were you?

                                      © 2011 Stephanie Abney

This one is more serious:

What if I listened very carefully to the spirit?
I might be surprised at what I hear.

What if the Lord has plans I'm not ready for?
I could try to pretend I didn't hear them.

What if I listened and obeyed?
I would be more use to His children.

Do you think I'm that strong?

                               © 2011 Stephanie Abney

This is the link to our FB group – just ask to join:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/178557275869627/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

A Month of Poetry "30 Poems in 30 Days" April #National Poetry Month

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.

Day 6 ~ How to write an “Eleven Line Autobiographical Poem” for #NationalPoetryMonth - "30 poems in 30 days"

Day 6 ~ How to write an “Eleven Line Autobiographical Poem” for #NationalPoetryMonth - "30 poems in 30 days"

So we are off to a really good start with poetry month. What do you say we get to know each other a little better?

Today we will be writing an “Eleven Line Autobiographical Poem.” 

It’s pretty easy in that it is basically a “fill-in-the-blank” poem, but it can be hard too because there is a certain amount of vulnerability inherent in this poem. SO, if you have personal reasons, legal reasons, anxiety reasons, etc. you can make it about a fictional person or if you are a writer, you can make it about a character in your book or if you are a reader, you could write about one of your favorite characters – but please indicate it is fictional so we don’t think those things are YOUR traits! LOL!!

But, if you are game – tell us about yourself. (You can always do this poetry form and just keep it for yourself and/or posterity. If you belong to our private FB group then, you should probably feel comfortable sharing these things about yourself there in the group). Up to you ~

Basically, you answer the questions, and then you remove the question part on lines 1, 2, and 11 so the poem stands alone. Notice the final poem after I answer the questions and then remove the line #s and the questions on 1, 2, and 11.

Here is the format: 

line 1: your first name

line 2: four character traits

line 3: Sibling of

line 4: Lover of

line 5: Who feels

line 6: Who needs

line 7: Who gives

line 8: Who fears

line 9: Who would like to see

line 10: Resident of

line 11: your last name

I’ll go ahead and fill in the blanks and then show it the finished product below ~ being online here on my blog – my name is already “out there” so here is my example, step by step:

line 1: your first name Stephanie

line 2: four character traits Compassionate, creative, supportive, artistic

line 3: Sibling of Camille

line 4: Lover of life, family, country and the Lord

line 5: Who feels happiest creating something and surrounded by family

line 6: Who needs appreciation, understanding, and words of affirmation

line 7: Who gives service, encouragement and love

line 8: Who fears she may not have done enough

line 9: Who would like to see an end of this Coronavirus pandemic

line 10: Resident of my house, under social distancing!

line 11: your last name Abney

Stephanie

Compassionate, creative, supportive, artistic

Sibling of Camille

Lover of life, family, country and the Lord

Who feels happiest creating something and surrounded by family

Who needs appreciation, understanding, and words of affirmation

Who gives service, encouragement and love

Who fears she may not have done enough

Who would like to see an end of this Coronavirus Pandemic

Resident of my house, under social distancing!

Abney

This is the link to our FB group – just ask to join:

A Month of Poetry "30 Poems in 30 Days" April #National Poetry Month

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.

Day 5 ~ How to write a Triplet for #NationalPoetryMonth - "30 poems in 30 days"

Day 5 ~ How to write a Triplet for #NationalPoetryMonth - "30 poems in 30 days"

Wow! Yesterday our FB group was going crazy with so many couplets!! It was fabulous!! So, now that you’ve got that down – let’s see how you do when we add one more line:

  Let’s write TRIPLETS!

Now, depending on which EXPERT source you check things out at, you are bound to get different definitions for various forms of poetry. Odd, I know. But I'm trying to find the most accurate definitions as I can for this challenge. Some people use the term "tercet" and "triplet" interchangeably when discussing poetry, but that's not what I have found. A "tercet" is a 3-lined poem (which may or may not rhyme and may or may not share the same meter). Therefore, yes, a "triplet" is a "tercet" BUT all "tercets" are not triplets. Go figure.

A "TRIPLET" is a very specific type of tercet and for our purposes we will follow these rules:

Triplets are 3-lined poems that rhyme.

BUT ~ HERE’S THE IMPORTANT PART ~

EVERY LINE HAS THE SAME NUMBER OF SYLLABLES or BEATS (and YOU get to choose how many beats your poem will have – just keep the same number of syllables for each line)!

Fun times ~ it helps to think of a topic first, any topic (nature is usually the easiest to get an idea about).

Here's a well-known triplet:

Hear no evil
See no evil
Speak no evil

Here’s an example for ya’ ~ I’m hilarious!!

I pray my words today are sweet,

in case there’s some I have to eat,

it makes friends easier to keep!

                     © 2011 by Stephanie Abney

This is the link to our FB group – just ask to join:

A Month of Poetry "30 Poems in 30 Days" April #National Poetry Month

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.

Day 4 ~ How to write a Couplet for #NationalPoetryMonth - "30 poems in 30 days"

Day 4 ~ How to write a Couplet for #NationalPoetryMonth - "30 poems in 30 days"

The poems about rainbows yesterday were amazing!! Thanks for participating!! Today, we are going to get down to basics: Every poet should know how to write a couplet. It's easy and can be the basis of other poems and it’s only TWO lines of poetry. How easy is that?

A couplet can stand alone or you can use any number of couplets to create a longer poem. Here’s what you need to know:

Although I’ve seen some that are totally random, the dictionary definition of a “couplet” suggests that they usually consist of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.

Try expressing your complete thought in two mid-sized poetic lines. The last words should rhyme. It can be spiritual or silly or romantic or whatever suits your fancy – couplets are great to write for children or with children.

Here a couple of couplets (hee hee) ~ well, here’s three of them, actually!!

My puppy chews on everything

But mostly tugs at my heartstrings.

                               © 2017 Andilyn Jenkins

I know the Lord is mindful of me,

And it makes me happy as can be.

                             © 2011 by Stephanie Abney

Carefully stringing thoughts along

Into lovely little word-songs.

                      © 2014 ~ Stephanie Abney

Did you think of a couplet? Just look around and think about any object or emotion and highlight it in two rhyming sentences. Cheers!!

This is the link to our FB group – just ask to join:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/178557275869627/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

PLEASE REMEMBER 

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.

Day 3 ~ How to write a Rainbow Poem for #NationalPoetryMonth - "30 poems in 30 days"

Day 3 ~ How to write a Rainbow Poem for #NationalPoetryMonth - "30 poems in 30 days"

The first two days of National Poetry Month have been awesome!! I hope anyone reading this post will join in the fun!! When I taught school I loved to highlight “special” days – basically, “National Days” – I would write what “day” (or days) we were celebrating up in the corner of the whiteboard and I would often have some of their work feature things about that day or the thing that was being celebrated, especially writing assignments. 

TODAY, April 3^rd, is “National Find A Rainbow Day,” among other things, such as: National Walking Day, Pony Express Day, Paraprofessional Appreciation Day, National Film Score Day, and Pony Express Day. 

There are a few templates for writing about rainbows that school teachers often use, especially an Acrostic Poem where you write the word “rainbow” down the left side of the paper and each line must begin with the letter on the left. 

Or you can name each of the colors in order and say something about the color or what it reminds you of, using either similes or metaphors. (A simile uses the word ‘like’ or ‘as’ in order to make a comparison, whereas metaphors use ‘is’ or ‘are.’)

OR, ya’ can just go rogue on us and use free verse (which some of you are chomping at the bit to do). I generally focus on a particular poetic form each day in order to “teach” that form and to encourage people who shy away from poetry that it actually is easy to write if you are following a pattern. But today – how about sharing your thoughts on rainbows using any type of poem you want? And tomorrow we will get back to some set poetic formulas.

If you name each color, don’t forget your “ROY G. BIV” you learned as a kid:

Red 

Orange 

Yellow 

Green 

Blue 

Indigo 

Violet 

Here are a couple of examples or, go ahead and use free verse ~

Reaching across the sky

Announcing God’s Promise

Is a glorious rainbow

Never again will He flood the earth

Blessings are waiting just

Over the rainbow

Wait and see

                      © 2020 Stephanie Abney

Red is strong, like the safety of your arms

Orange is exciting, like the dawning of a new day

Yellow is soft, like a downy new chick

Green is for growth, like a plant bursting through the dirt

Blue is forever, like the ocean

Indigo is spiritual, like the conviction to do what is right

Violet is peaceful, like a newborn babe looking into your eyes

                                       © 2020 Stephanie Abney

What comes to mind when you see a rainbow?

This is the link to our FB group – just ask to join:

A Month of Poetry "30 Poems in 30 Days" April #National Poetry Month

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much! 

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog or FB page ~ that's awesome. But PLEASE don't just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog of FB wall or wherever and LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I've spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work. 

Day 2 ~ How to write a Japanese Ukiah poem for #NationalPoetryMonth - "30 poems in 30 days"

Day 2 ~ How to write a Japanese Ukiah poem for #NationalPoetryMonth - "30 poems in 30 days"

Welcome! Yesterday was SUCH fun – hope you were able to write a Japanese Dodoitsu poem with us – if not, you can look it up on Day 1 ~ but THIS is Day 2!! Let’s continue with another simple Japanese poem. I bet you haven’t heard of this one either!! I hadn’t, but I’m anxious to try it: we will be writing Ukiah Poems!! (It’s another short poem – they will get longer as we move along through the month, and then shorter, and then longer, etc.). Cheers!!

How do you write Ukiah poetry, you say? Look at the spelling – it is Haiku spelled backward, BUT it has VERY SPECIFIC rules ~ this poem requires all three lines to have an ending rhyme and instead of being a 5-7-5 syllable pattern, it is a 7-5-7 pattern.

This style of poetry was invented by Robert Ropars in 2009. It’s a “reverse haiku” in every sense. Not only did he switch the lines for the number of syllables but he required that it rhyme since haikus are not intended to rhyme. There are no suggestions on subject matter so you have a wide open field of what to write about today! Have fun!

Here is the format:

THREE LINES: specific syllable counts per line and this poem needs to rhyme!!

The first and third lines HAVE SEVEN SYLLABLES.

The second, middle line only has FIVE SYLLABLES.

AND – all three lines need to have an ending rhyme.

(Those ending rhymes are what make this style tricky). Have fun!!

Oh, and just a heads up: neither Haiku nor Ukiah poems are supposed to have titles – just let the 3 lines stand alone – no further explanation!! So, NO TITLES! Cheers!!

Use of punctuation is strictly optional; use what suits you or use none at all.

~~~~

Once again, here is that handy little online free syllable counter if you want to be sure of your syllable counts:
How Many Syllables - Free Online Syllable Counter

AND – here is a free online rhyming dictionary – very awesome and helpful for if/when you get stuck:
Free Online Rhyming Dictionary

Feel free to share your poems in the comments here on my blog (ALL CREATIVE WORK REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF THE AUTHOR) or in our FB group – you’ll find the link below, or directly on your own FB wall, or Instagram, or your blog, or just keep a notebook of your poems this month – whatever suits your fancy. We DO love seeing each other’s poems though.

However, if you do share it on your own social media pages please do not copy and paste these directions, but rather just link back to this page. See additional conditions below. Thanks.

I found the limitations of this poetic form to be challenging. I can’t wait to see what everyone else comes up with. Y’all amaze me, but for what’s it’s worth, here are my UKIAH poetry efforts:

Reading everyone’s poem

While stuck in my home

Helps the stay inside syndrome

                              © 2020 Stephanie Abney

I’d like to be slim and trim

My prospects are grim

Since I don’t go to the gym

                             © 2020 Stephanie Abney

Some things we cannot condone
More time spent alone
Makes me grateful for my phone

                            © 2020 Stephanie Abney

This is the link to our FB group – just ask to join:

A Month of Poetry "30 Poems in 30 Days" April #National Poetry Month


PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.

Day 1 ~ How to write a Japanese Dodoitsu poem for #NationalPoetryMonth - "30 poems in 30 days"

Day 1 ~ How to write a Japanese Dodoitsu poem

Yay!! April has arrived (after a rather LONG March – but, hey, April is about to seem even longer with all of the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” and social distancing directives across the nation) so I’m really happy that it is NATIONAL POETRY MONTH ~ something to keep us connected, get the creative juices flowing, and allow for some much-needed expression. Who’s ready to join me?

A poem a day for 30 days during the month of April ~ Many people reading this right now have done this poetry challenge with me before but I do hope we have some newbies this year. This is the EIGHTH year that I have done this poetry writing challenge so I want to add some different poetry forms but I also enjoy sticking with some of our favorite tried and true poems.

I’ve noticed with the coronavirus this year that people are already writing Haikus about it. Many are using the heading “Love in the time of COVID-19” as their topic. So, you can do that if you wish (and we will get to Haikus, eventually, because, well . . . Haiku), but I thought we would start out with a DIFFERENT Japanese poetic form for the first day of our challenge. Like many Japanese poetry styles, this one focuses on counting syllables – but not the same three lines of 5,7,5 syllables as the Haiku. We are going to write a DODOITSU poem today. Fun times!!!

Here’s a bit of background: Dodoitsu poems appeared around the late 1860s. They were favored by working-class citizens. The name’s translation is basically, “quickly, city to city.” Some say that it refers to the ease with which they were passed along. The Dodoitsu has even been called the “Japanese limerick” as most revolved around love, work, and daily life, from a humorous perspective; so as a general rule, they did not explore deep thoughts. But rather, they were used as a way to record those off-the-wall funny moments in one’s day. I have a dear friend who writes AT LEAST a poem a day and includes her poems in her journal as they usually reflect her day. See what you come up with.

Here is the format:

FOUR LINES: (only counting syllables – no rhyming required, nor excluded . . . just whatever).

The first 3 lines ALL HAVE SEVEN SYLLABLES.

And the 4^th line has FIVE SYLLABLES.

That’s it ~ simple, right? Yeah, give it a try. Write as many as suits your fancy today.

~~~~

Feel free to share your poems in the comments here on my blog (ALL CREATIVE WORK REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF THE AUTHOR) or in our FB group – you'll find the link below, or directly on your own FB wall, or Instagram, or your blog, or just keep a notebook of your poems this month – whatever suits your fancy. We DO love seeing each other’s poems though.

However, if you do share it on your own social media pages, please do not copy and paste these directions, but rather just link back to this page. See additional conditions below. Thanks.

Here is a VERY helpful syllable counter to double-check each line:

How Many Syllables - Free Syllable Counter

Here are my efforts for this (new to me – and probably you) poetry style:

Today our online art class

Critiqued each other’s artwork

Depicting contradiction:

Comfortable bra

                              © 2020 Stephanie Abney

 

(By way of explanation for these crazy "bra" photos - it was a 3-D piece of artwork that needed to include dye resist of the fabric and embroidery while depicting a "contradiction"). 

The internet is so slow

Because everyone is on 

132 tabs open

Might be a problem

                             © 2020 Stephanie Abney

This is the link to our FB group – just ask to join:

A Month of Poetry "30 Poems in 30 Days" April #National Poetry Month

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.