Rhyming Wave

The Rhyming Wave is a poetry form created by Katharine L. Sparrow, American writer and poet who writes on Allpoetry.com.

The Rhyming Wave is:

  • Stanzaic: Consisting of 2 or more quatrains plus an ending couplet.
  • Metric: Lines 1 through 3 are iambic tetrameter and
  • line 4 is iambic trimeter.
  • Refrained: Syllables 6 & 7 of line one are repeated as syllables 2 thru 7 and syllable 8 is the same in both lines and syllables 1 & 2 are of line 3 are repeated in line 4
  • Refrain: The ending couplet is the first and the last line of the previous stanzas.
  • NOTE: The author is amenable to having poets substitute rhyming as well as identical syllables. I have done so in my example poem.
  • Rhymed: Rhyme scheme Aaab BBbc CCd AD, where the capital letters represent refrain words or refrain lines.

Here is the author’s own explanation. At the end I have included a visual template that may help some.

The Rhyming Wave is a form of my own invention. The instructions seem complicated, but once you start writing it, you will get it pretty quickly. A Rhyming Wave is so named because words repeat themselves, similar to waves lapping over and over again on the shore. A Rhyming Wave has at least 2 verses and an ending couplet. Each verse is four lines with the first three written in iambic tetrameter (4 “feet” of 2 syllables each) and the fourth line three feet, or six syllables. The ending couplet will be the first and last lines of the poem repeated. To write a Rhyming Wave you must know how to write in iambic meter. This is the da-DUM, da-DUM rhythm. If you don’t know how to do this, your Rhyming Wave may not come out sounding as it should. As with all iambic metered poems, it does not have to be PERFECT, but it should sound melodious to the ear.

  • – First line: 4 iambic feet (8 syllables)
    • She dwells among the foamy swells,
  • – Second line : syllables 6 and 7 of line one are repeated as syllables 2 through 7 (three times) and syllable 8 is also repeated as syllable 8.
    • the foamy, foamy, foamy swells–
  • – Third line: 4 iambic feet (8 syllables) last syllable rhymes with last syllable of lines one and two
    • Beneath the cresting waves she dwells,
  • – Fourth line: first 2 to 3 syllables (whichever fits) of line three are repeated/ six syllables only
    • beneath the ocean’s roll.
  • Verses 2 through 4, same pattern – first line of each verse rhymes with last line of previous verse:
    • Her song floats from a sandy shoal
    • a sandy, sandy, sandy shoal–
    • her voice that creeps into the soul,
    • her voice, a crooning trill.
    • And over all a misty chill
    • a misty, misty, misty chill–
    • she’ll sing again, it’s sure she will,
    • she’ll sing her haunting tune.
    • Her humming soothes the silver moon,
    • the silver, silver, silver moon,
    • where stars will span the ocean soon–
    • where stars will hear her song.
  • Ending couplet, first and last lines of the poem:
    • She dwells among the foamy swells,
    • where stars will hear her song.
  • The poem must have at least 2 verses, but there is no limit to the number of verses

Sparrow’s Examples

Form: Rhyming Wave

Mermaid’s Song

She dwells among the foamy swells,
the foamy, foamy, foamy swells–
beneath the cresting waves she dwells,
beneath the ocean’s roll.

Her song floats from a sandy shoal
a sandy, sandy, sandy shoal–
her voice that creeps into the soul,
her voice, a crooning trill.

And over all a misty chill
a misty, misty, misty chill–
she’ll sing again, it’s sure she will,
she’ll sing her haunting tune.

Her humming soothes the silver moon,
the silver, silver, silver moon,
where stars will span the ocean soon–
where stars will hear her song.

She dwells among the foamy swells
where stars will hear her song.

Rose Covered

A cottage in the shady wood,
the shady, shady, shady wood–
amid soft, leafy arms it stood
amid the woodland trees.

Perfume hung on the hazy breeze
the hazy, hazy, hazy breeze
where roses opened for the bees
where roses blossomed red.

The roses climbed and gently spread,
and gently, gently, gently spread–
they made the walls a flower bed,
they made the cottage sweet.

A respite in the steamy heat,
the steamy, steamy, steamy heat–
a cool and comfortable retreat
a cool and quiet place.

A cottage in the shady wood,
a cool and quiet place.

© Katharine L. Sparrow

My Example

Form: Rhyming Wave

Pleasant Quest

He waited for the perfect mate
the perfect, perfect, perfect mate
the one he would appreciate
the one he knew he’d find.

She’d have to have a caring mind
a daring, rare and caring mind
to make him leave his quest behind
to make him say, “It’s you!’

Enroute he took a playful view–
a playful, playful, playful view
before he chose to say, “I do”–
before he chose his bride.

He had a very pleasing ride–
a pleasing, teasing, pleasing ride
He mostly left girls satisfied.
He most enjoyed the search.

He waited for the perfect mate
He most enjoyed the search.

© Lawrencealot – August 27, 2015

Visual Template:

The Tennyson

The Tennyson is a stanzaic form patterned after Ask Me No More by English poet,Alfred Lord Tennyson (1802-1892).

The Tennyson is:
○ stanzaic, written in any number of cinquains.
○ metric, iambic, L1-L4 are pentameter and L5 is dimeter.
○ rhymed, rhyme scheme abbaC deedC fggfC etc.
○ written in with L5 as a refrain repeated from stanza to stanza.

Ask Me No More by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Ask me no more: the moon may draw the sea;
The cloud may stoop from heaven and take the shape,
With fold to fold, of mountain or of cape;
But O too fond, when have I answer’d thee?
————–Ask me no more.
Ask me no more: what answer should I give?
I love not hollow cheek or faded eye:
Yet, O my friend, I will not have thee die!
Ask me no more, lest I should bid thee live;
————–Ask me no more.
Ask me no more: thy fate and mine are seal’d:
I strove against the stream and all in vain:
Let the great river take me to the main:
No more, dear love, for at a touch I yield;
————–Ask me no more.
Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=668
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for the wonderful PMO resource.
My Example Poem
Wastrel ( The Tennyson)
I wasted time throughout my early years.
and emphasized my chase for corporate gold.
I knew of course, that everyone grows old
unless an early death brings loved-ones tears.
I wasted time.
I wasted time while children’s magic bloomed,
and took for granted miracles in play.
I let too many moments slip away.
I failed to nurture love that was presumed.
I wasted time.
I wasted time just letting days go by.
But now I savor simple daily things-
a child that laughs, a parakeet that sings-
and cannot help but often wonder why
I wasted time.
© Lawrencealot – July 29, 2014
Visual Template
The Tennyson

Cinquain Chain

  • Cinquain Chain or Corona of Cinquains is stanzaic invented verse made up of a series of Crapsey Cinquains linked in a chain or corona by the last line of each cinquain repeated as the first line of the next cinquain.
My Example poem
You Can Call Me, Darling    (Cinquain Chain)
Once we’ve
come to know each
other and shared a meal
or drink, a wink, or even more
a kiss,
a kiss
even on the cheek,
or put each other down
in fun with social repartee
well then …
well then
you might call me
darling and I’d not flinch.
It’s a sweet affectation, beats
Hey you!
Hey you
works, and implies
perhaps you know me not
yet by name and darling implies
much more.
Much more-
yet everyone
is your darling, even those I know
are rude and lacking very much
to like.
To like
me and call me
darling has it’s merits.
Do you want to call me darling?
Call me.
© Lawrencealot – February 20 2014

Insane Cinquain

The Insane Cinquain form was invented on September 3,2012 by Amanda J. Norton aka Dark Butterfly.
Stanza 1  4/6/5/7/8
rhymed  a b c a b
Stanza 2  8/7/5/6/4
Rhymed  d e f d e
There is no meter requirement.
Display Centered.
Example Poem
Write an Insane Cinquain
Insane Cinquain
is what we’re gonna write.
It’s a Butterfly
invention and it’s no strain.
Just count syllables get ’em right.
You need not fret with meter here
there’s just a few words to rhyme.
This is such a kind
form Mark can practice here
for a good time.
© Lawrencealot – September 3, 2012
Visual Template