| There are many different types of poetry. I counted | | | | "Where Michael was left alone in the storm." Each |
| 50 on a quick search of the internet. You may have | | | | stanza could have lengthening lines. Lines could be |
| heard of Haiku and Limericks. There are the more | | | | varied in length to create a picture on the page. |
| obscure types too, like Terzanelle and Sestina. | | | | Playing with stanzas is a fun way to create new |
| Learning different types of poetry though, isn't nearly | | | | types of poetry. |
| as much fun as inventing your own, so here are | | | | Ideas For New Types Of Poetry |
| some ideas about that. | | | | In the poem "Do Not Believe In God," each stanza |
| Types Of Poetry - Playing With Stanzas | | | | starts with one of our senses: "See God... in stars and |
| What is a stanza? A division of a poem consisting of | | | | sunlight... and the face of your lover;" Hear God... in |
| two or more lines. How many ways can you | | | | wind and waves... and the music of the birds." All the |
| structure a stanza? As many as you want. Look at | | | | senses are covered. How could we use this general |
| this stanza from the poem, "Gratitude:" | | | | idea? By starting each stanza with a different verb or |
| So there is nothing to say | | | | adjective? By starting each stanza with a different |
| There is nothing to say | | | | person's name? By having each stanza get smaller or |
| There is nothing | | | | larger as the poem progresses? |
| Nothing... | | | | How many ways can you play with poems? "Dream |
| But gratitude | | | | poems," could be a type of poetry that puts actual |
| Each line is a smaller part of the previous line. In this | | | | dreams into verse. "Dialog poems" could have stanzas |
| case, it quiets the mind in order to emphasize the last | | | | or lines answering each other back and forth. A |
| word: gratitude. However, this idea could be used in | | | | series of poems could use all the exact same words, |
| many ways. You could start with a line like, "She | | | | rearranged, with an entirely different outcome in |
| watched the birds come in from the sea," and it can | | | | each. There are endless types of poetry you can |
| reduce to, "Come in from the sea;" "From the sea:" | | | | create. |