My Favorite Poetic Forms

Poetic forms abound today. The history of this genre is long and diverse. As a result, poets seeking innovation have a lot to draw upon. I have listed my favorites here but do not be fooled. There are many, many more to be found elsewhere that can serve your poetry-writing needs.

Haiku

The Haiku is a traditional Japanese poetic form. One poet from Japan’s history, Matsuo Basho, would write these exclusively while roaming the countryside. They are a syllabic verse with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second, and five again in the third and final line. It is a very short poem, almost a fragment. Typically, they capture a poignant or beautifully symbolic image in the first two lines and then the final line is some sort of surprise. Whether that be a surprising action in the image, a sudden realization, or something else entirely, is up to you! Just remember, 5–7–5. Here is an example:

uma wo sae

nagamuru yuki no

ashita kana

[even a horse

arrests my eyes — on this

snowy morrow]

­

— Matsuo Basho (1684)

Another example:

The west wind whispered,
And touched the eyelids of spring:
Her eyes, Primroses.