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