Tag Archives: A¹A² bbcccbddd A¹A²

Pathways for the Poet by Viola Berg (1977) is a book for and by educators. Classic poetic forms as well as many invented forms which appear to have been invented as teaching tools or exercizes for use in workshops or classrooms are included. Some of these invented forms I have found in use in internet poetry communities, a testament to their staying power. On this page I include the metric invented forms found there in which appear to be exclusive to the community of educators from whom Ms. Berg drew her support. I have yet to find these in any other source. I have included the syllabic invented forms on a separate page. Whether classroom exercise or sharpening your skill as a writer, some of these forms can be fun to play with.

• The Boutonniere seems to be an exercise in writing in catalectic trochaic meter. In other words, the stress comes first in each metric foot, but the last foot of the line, drops the last unstressed syllable. Trochaic tetrameter would be Su / Su/ Su/ Su. Catalectic trochaic tetrameter would be Su/Su/Su/S. Created by Ann Byrnes Smith.

The Boutonniere is:
○ written in 13 lines.
○ metered, catalectic trochaic tetrameter. Su/Su/Su/S.
○ rhymed, rhyme scheme A¹A² bbcccbddd A¹A².
○ refrained, L1 is repeated as L12 and L2 is repeated as L13.

Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=1199#dionol
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource.

My example

Dream Instead (Boutonniere)

One’s beliefs it really seems,
have less weight than do their dreams.
Focus on your dreams each day,
Divvy up your work and play.
Muslims, Christians, Buddhists too
Hold quite different points of view;
all of them cannot be true.
all but we are wrong they say.
Dogma serves to cloud the mind
setting forth a path assigned.
Thinkers dream when they’re inclined.
One s beliefs it really seems,
have less weight than do their dreams.

© Lawrencealot – September 1, 2014

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