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Alphacouplets poetry form

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Alphacouplets

Alphacouplets: The couplets rhyme. You begin with a noun.
In these examples= angel, cat, blimp, turtle, sky, cloud, egg.
You put three words beginning with the same letter before the word and then you rhyme the second line. You can join them together to make a longer poem.

An arrogant, amorous, agile angel
formed with earth and cloud–a love triangle.
An adoring, absent-minded, adolescent angel
wore her halo at a rakish angel.
Cantankerous, cranky, curious cat
battled with owners, fleas and gnat.
Bulbous, beautiful, blazoned blimp
burped, busted and became limp.
Timid, testosteroid, trying turtle
found his shell a hurdle to being fertile.
Scarlet, scowling, screaming sky
turned sodden earth to mud pie.
Catastrophic, clamorous, clobbered cloud
said, “ Thunderhead, stop for crying out loud.”
Eloquent, elegant, egotistical egg
pontificated too long upon a keg.

http://www.rainbowcommunications.org/velvet/forms/
My Thanks to Linda Varsell Smith for her contributions above.

Specifications restated:
An Alpha Couplet is:
• A stanza of any length, consisting entirely of rhymed couplets.
• The final word of the first line of each couplet must be a noun
• Three alliterative words must precede that noun.
• The next line must rhyme with the first.
• There are NO metric or line-length requirements, nor prohibitions.

My example

Wormhole Wisdom (Form: Alphacouplets)

A mostly mature, maybe modern man
arrived sometimes before is trip began.
He wanted wisdom with a winsome wife,
but found that younger women caused much strife.
He set to sail thru interstellar space
expecting time would much improve our race.
He viewed the vista of a vacuous void
so empty that he darn well was annoyed.
He meant to move and mingle now with men
but Wolfe was right! You can’t go home again.

© Lawrencealot – December 20, 2014

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Alpha Couplet

Con-Verse and Conversation in Couplets

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• Converse in Couplets is an invented stanzaic form that emulates a Conversation Poem or dialogue in rhymed couplets. John Henson introduced this form at Poetry Styles. This could fall under the genre of a French Débat or Eclogue Débat with a prescribed stanzaic form. Shadow Poetry.comexpands this form shortening the name to Con-Verse to change the syllabic count of the couplets.
Converse in Couplets is:
○ stanzaic, written in any number of couplets.
○ syllabic, all lines are 11 syllables.
…
a conversation between at least 2 voices.

The Age Old Story by Judi Van Gorder

I got caught in the hall without a hall-pass,
my practice ran late, then I ran out of gas

You were told before to be home by seven 
and no excuses pave the road to heaven.

I would have called but you do not understand
things didn’t play out the way that I planned.

It’s the third time this week that you’ve come home late.
You could be dead in a ditch while I fret and wait.

Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?/topic/2192-invented-forms-from-poetry-styles/
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource.

Con-Verse
The Con-Verse, created by Connie Marcum Wong, consists of three or more 2-line rhyming stanzas (couplets). The meter of this form is in syllabic verse.

Rhyme scheme: aa,bb,cc,dd,ee
Meter: 7,7,8,8,9,9,10,10,11,11

(Syllabic verse only counts the number of syllables in a line.)

This form consists of three or more couplets which ascend by one syllable up to and until you reach a syllabic count of eleven which would contain ten lines.

This process may be repeated for a longer verse. If repeated, you must begin your first couplet with the syllabic count of seven again and continue from there

Pasted from http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/converse.html
Many thanks to the ShadowPoetry site.

My Example

Toilet Seat Lament  (Con-verse)

The seat was up again, dear!
What?honey – I didn’t hear.

The toilet seat, you just left up!
It makes it easy for the pup.

Don’t give me that “doggies drinking bit!”
Dear, just put it down before you sit!

© Lawrencealot – October 10, 2014

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Con-verse

Arabesque

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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.

• Arabesque created by Lucille Evans features head rhyme (rhyme in the beginning of the line) in couplets. The end words rise and fall. 

The Arabesque is:
○ stanzaic, written in any number of couplets.
○ metered in pattern but no line length is required. The beginning metric foot of each line is a trochee Su, and the end foot of each line is alternately feminine and masculine.
○ rhymed, head rhyming couplets (rhyme at the beginning of the line).

Sample by Judi Van Gorder

Aching with a need to be sleeping,
making my fingers continue to type.
Writing a poem to be an example,
fighting fatigue to complete this tome.
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

Tavern Tango (Arabesque)

Mumble, drink beer and then grumble;
Stumble, your way through the door
Married men forgot their troubles,
Buried their unbidden woes.
Lookers have left without buying;
Hookers found men dumb and dull.

© Lawrencealot – September 1, 2014

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Arabesque

The Dobson

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The Dobson is named for Henry Austin Dobson (1840-1921), 19th century English poet, patterned from his The Garden Song.  Dobson was respected in his time for his use of French forms especially his mastery of the Triolet.

The Dobson is:

  • stanzaic, written in any number of sixains made up of 3 rhymed couplets.
  • metered, most often written in tetrameter.
  • rhymed, rhyme scheme aabbcc ddeeff etc.

A Garden Song by Henry Austin Dobson
HERE in this sequester’d close
Bloom the hyacinth and rose,
Here beside the modest stock
Flaunts the flaring hollyhock;
Here, without a pang, one sees
Ranks, conditions, and degrees.
All the seasons run their race
In this quiet resting place,
Peach and apricot and fig
Here will ripen and grow big;
Here is store and overplus,–
More had not Alcinoüs!
Here, in alleys cool and green,
Far ahead the thrush is seen;
Here along the soutern wall
Keeps the bee his festival;
All is quiet else–afar
Sounds of toil and turmoil are.
Here be shadows large and long;
Here be spaces meet for song;
Grant, O garden-god, that I,
Now that none profane is nigh,–
Now that mood and moment please,–
Find the fair Pierides!
Pasted from <http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=668>
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for the fine resource above.

My Example poem
Banana Peels (The Dobson)
Banana Peels
Bothersome banana peels
Getting underneath my heels
Possibly an oversight
or a trick that’s not polite.
Comics slide on them for fun,
clowns as well are not outdone.
© Lawrencealot – June 22, 2014
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The Dobson

Stave Stanza

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A poem which is:
Stanzaic:    Having three or more sestet verses.
Isosyllabic:  Line length not specified but all of same length.
Metrical:      Usually iambic tetrameter.
Repetitive:   Having either one or two refrain repeated throughout.
Rhymed:      Scheme aabbcC ddeecC ffggcC…etc, or
                                 AabbaA AaccaA AaddaA..etc.
Other Sources:
Stave
Type:
Structure, Metrical Requirement, Repetitive Requirement, Rhyme Scheme Requirement, Isosyllabic, Stanzaic
Description:
A short-lined (usually tetrameter or less) drinking song stanza form. A stricter definition has the stave as a six-line stanza of uniform line length composed of rhymed couplets with a refrain: aabbcC ddeecC ffggcC, etc. The strictest form has the refrain as both first and last line of the sestet, giving: AabbaA AaccaA AaddaA, etc.
Schematic:
aabbcC
ddeecC
ffggcC, etc. or
AabbaA
AaccaA
AaddaA, etc.
Where C or A are refrains repeated throughout.
Thanks to Bob Newman, his is a wonderful resource.
Type: Stanzaic; rhyme; repetition; isosyllabic.
Description: A variation on using couplets to construct a sestet. The form consists of a refrain line which is the last line of each stanza, therefore the last couplet of each stanza also rhymes. Lines should be isosyllabic*.
Schematic: aabbcC ddeecC ffggcC etc
Stanza Length: 6 lines
Poem Length: 18 + lines
© Jem Farmer 2008, all rights reserved.
POSTED BY CERIDWEN AT TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2009  
 Thanks to Jem Farmer.
 
 My Example Poem
 
Kandinsky Clothes       (Stave Stanza)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

“I want to stroll and get some sun.
You’re artistic, aren’t you, my hon?
I haven’t got a thing to wear.
You’ll paint me something if you care.”
Sure, I can do that heaven knows
you look just fine in painted clothes.
With sun-screen added to my oils,
I began my most earnest toils,
My mind had wander when you moaned,
thank Gawd your mother telephoned.
That kept the other subject closed.
you look just fine in painted clothes.
Most folks took little heed at all
as we both strolled across the mall.
One connoisseur observing it
exclaimed out loud, “That’s one fine fit.
It’s all just as I had supposed
you look just fine in painted clothes.
© Lawrencealot – July 15, 2013
 
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Intramirroral

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This is a form invented by Mark Andrew J Terry of Allpoetry.
These are the requirements of this form:
Rhyme Pattern: aabb 
Meter: None specified.
Isosyllabic – Each line must have the same number of syllables.
Minimum poem length: 4 lines, no maximum.
Couplet One:
Every word in the first line should rhyme with the corresponding word in line 2
Except for one word; those words must have contrary meanings, but same syllable count.
It can be expanded as far as you wish.
These are the requirements for a Sestet:
Rhyme Pattern: aabbcc

Meter: Optional.
Couplet One::
Every word in the first line should rhyme with the corresponding word in line 2
Except for one word; those words must have contrary meanings, but same syllable count
Following couplets:
Ends with mirrored rhyme, but also has internal rhyme
Example Poem
Party Time
Alluring tart proffering wile.
Demurring lass deferring guile.
Bewitching twit assures relief.
Enriching wit insures belief.
No way to stay the party game.
I’ll try to buy the hearty dame.
© Lawrencealot – May 27, 2012
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Intermirroral

Wrapped Refrain Style 1

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The Wrapped Refrain, created by Jan Turner, consists of 2 or more stanzas of 6 lines each; Meter:8,8,8,8,12,12 and Rhyme Scheme: aabbcc.
Refrain rule: In each stanza the first 4 syllables (or 4 single-syllable words) in the first line must be the last 4 syllables (or 4 single-syllable words) at the end of the last line. This is what wraps each stanza with a repeated refrain …thus, the Wrapped Refrain.
Optional: The first stanza refrain and last stanza refrain can be joined (or loosely joined) together for the title of the poem.
Example #1:
Let’s Steal Away to Meet Again
Let’s steal away to some place cool,
with rivulets that foam and pool
beneath a wooded, shady shore
that frames the rocks with sycamore.
The afternoon has just begun; without delay,
let’s meet beneath the shaded sun…let’s steal away.
Let’s meet again where once we knew
the buttercups with golden dew;
we scurried to our hidden spot
where I recall forget-me-not.
And, we shall have the promised dreams that we did then,
as we revisit hideaways…let’s meet again.
Copyright © 2007 Jan Turner
Example #2:
A Chance Taken  (Wrapped Refrain)
Let’s toss the dice while hormones rage.
although I’m bright I’m not a sage.
Escorting you I feel I’ve won
a treasure though we’ve just begun.
I’ve met your folks; they seem stable, loving, and nice.
That kind of template should suffice; let’s toss the dice.
The dice were rolled and kids were born.
The raging cooled and you were torn
by boring days and nights alone.
I was at sea and could not phone.
Your searching started then; that’s when the bells were tolled.
Though we parted since, I’m still glad the dice were rolled.
© Lawrencealot – February 13, 2013
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Staccato

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The Staccato, created by Jan Turner, consists of two or more 6-line stanzas.
 
Rhyme scheme: aabbcc.
*Required internal rhyme scheme interplay between line #1 and line #2 (see below explanation and examples).
 
Meter:  10/10/8/8/10/10
 
Repeats: This form requires a 2-syllable repeat in Lines #3 and #6 as specified below.
 
As in a musical notation, The Staccato poetry form uses
short repeats which are abruptly disconnected
elements. The repeat words are read as rapid-fire speech,
such as staccato music when played or sung.
This form lends itself to strong emotion or instruction
(i.e. military poems: “Charge on! Charge on!” etc.),
a declaration (such as of an event: “We’re married!
We’re married!” etc.), an instruction or emphasis of
human emotion (such as love, hate, longing: “Be mine!
Be mine!” etc.), strong observation (such as
“Those eyes! Those eyes!” etc.) or any similar
situation where a strong staccato repeat is desired.
 
The emphatic two-syllable repeat in this poetry form
is written twice, consecutively, at the beginning of
Line #3 (each repeat in Line #3 is followed by an exclamation mark),
 and once again at the beginning of Line #6
(with or without an exclamation mark in Line #6).
 
Also, Line #2 requires an internal rhyme scheme that rhymes
with a word within Line #1, usually falling on
the 6th syllable (see examples below), but can fall earlier
in those two lines as long as the internal rhyme
matches the syllabic stress in both lines .
 
Example Poem
 
Let’s Write a Staccato
 
A staccato let’s write, right here and now.
It’s simple, really quite forward, here’s how.
Notice! Notice! Internal rhyme
in lines one and two just in time
for a repeated exclamation, yet
notice third repeat may in quiet set.
 
That inversion my dear, was just for show
to make the rhyme quite clear of course you know.
I know! I know! Poor form to teach
Is most certainly a bad breach.
Since this poem with that err I fetter
I know you, my readers, can do better.
 
(c) Lawrencealot – September 11, 2012
 
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