Poetry English 9- 12: Poetry Terms and Examples

Rhymes are types of poems which have the the repetition of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words most often at the ends of lines. This technique makes the poem easy to remember and is therefore often used in Nursery Rhymes. There are several derivatives of the term rhyme which include Double rhyme, Triple rhyme, Rising rhyme, Falling rhyme, Perfect and Imperfect rhymes.

Examples:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King's horses, And all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again!

Mary Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row.

A narrative poem tells a story and can be about anything. Sometimes the poem's lines have a rhyming pattern. Sometimes they don't rhyme at all.

Jimmy Goes to the City

Humorous poems are funny, silly poems.

All You Can Eat Rap   

by Bruce Lansky

I went to a place that serves all you can eat.
And now my new shoes do not fit on my feet.
My hat is too small now to fit on my head.
My legs are too long now to fit on my bed.

So if you should visit the very same place,
Take my advice, friend, and don’t stuff your face.

My Lunch by Kenn Nesbit

A candy bar.
A piece of cake.
A lollipop.
A chocolate shake.
A jelly donut.
Chocolate chips.
Some gummi worms
and licorice whips.

A candy cane.
A lemon drop.
Some bubblegum
and soda pop.
Vanilla wafers.
Cherry punch.
(My mom slept in
while I made lunch.)

Free Verse has no set fixed rhythm or pattern. The poetry of Walt Whitman provides many illustrations of Free Verse including his poem "Song of Myself".

Song of Myself
by Walt Whitman

I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
I loaf and invite my soul,
I lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.

Bears  by Matthew/student

Bears are
creatures that
slash their
mighty claws
to fish for
their prey
In the winter
they lie
like a rock
and wait
for the 
dawn of spring

Autumn      http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/poetry/free_verse.html

Wind
Blowing briskly
Leaves fall
From
      The
                    Trees
We rake
Colored leaves
In
A
Big
Pile.

And jump.
 

Lyric Poetry is usually aobut your feelings and moods. The term lyric is now commonly referred to as the words to a song. Lyric poetry does not tell a story which portrays characters and actions. The lyric poet addresses the reader directly, portraying his or her own feeling, state of mind, and perceptions. 

Ode to Joy

I've had cabbage, lettuce, blackberries
Pasta, oats and strawberries
Bagels, beans and hot dogs
Eggplant, ham and cheese logs
I've had pumpkin and potato
Truffles and tomato
Diced, sliced, cubed and riced
Boiled and fried
Soaked and dried
Burgers, tacos, ice cream too
Radishes red and berries blue
Despite all this, I'm feeling thinner...
Still, that was lunch, now what's for dinner?
http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/poetry/lyric.html

Dying (aka I heard a fly buzz when I died )
by Emily Dickinson

I heard a fly buzz when I died;
The stillness round my form
Was like the stillness in the air
Between the heaves of storm.

Couplets have two lines that  rhyme.

A triplet or tercet has three lines. Most often the three lines rhyme. Some triplets have only two rhymed lines with different patterns.

Football

Football is the game for me.
The stadium is a great place to be.
Touchdowns are what I like to see.

Here is a poem with two tercets from Halloween Night:  

               Witch Way

With warts on her nose
And sharp pointy toes,
She flies through the night on her broom.

With covers pulled tight
In the shadows of night,
I hide in the dark of my room.

A quatrain is a poem of four lines. A quatrain may have a variety of rhyme schemes, including abcb, aabb, and abba.

Flippered, flightless,
Fat with blubber,
The penguin is
A waterlubber.

Snow dropped by
And here am I
Catching flakes
Of falling sky.

Robins bobbing
On the lawn
Strut their stuff
Now winter’s gone.

A joey in his mother’s pouch
Is safe, well-fed, content.
He gets a free ride when inside
And never pays Mom rent.

Cinquain Poetry Type has five lines.

The first line is one word . The second line has 2 words that describe the title. It has 4 syllables. The third line has 3 words that express an action. It has 6 syllables. The fourth line has 2 words that express a feeling. It has 8 syllables. The fifth line is 1 word. It has 2 or 3 syllables.

Line 1 gives the one word title.
Line 2 is two words that describe the title: 4 syllables.
Line 3 is three words that tell the action: 6 syllables.
Line 4 is four words that express a feeling: 8 syllables 
Line 5 is one word that recalls the title.

A sestet is a six line poem or a stanza that has six lines.