Wavelet

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… Whether classroom exercise or sharpening your skill as a writer, some of these forms can be fun to play with.

• The Wavelet is an invented verse form alternating couplets and tercets and introduced by Marie L. Blanche Adams.

The Wavelet is:
○ poem in 12 lines made up of 3 couplets alternating with 2 tercets.
○ metric, the couplets are catalectic iambic trimeter and the tercets are iambic tetrameter,
○ rhymed, aabcbddeceff. The couplets are feminine rhymed dropping the stressed syllable at the end of the line.

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

Religion Soothes (Wavelet)
 
I trust religion
less than a smidgen.
In all I’ve seen it’s pick and choose
among a list of proscribed acts
accompanied with many “do’s.”
Some charismatic
and enigmatic
inspiring guy set forth his book,
ambiguous and short on facts,
but people bit; the concept took.
The sheep are tranquil,
and even thankful.
 
© Lawrencealot – September30,2014

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Wavelet

Brevee

  • The Brevee  is a terse list of related rhymes. One more verse form that appears to be invented as a learning tool, it was created by Marie Adams.
    The Brevee is:

    • stanzaic, written in any number of sixains.
    • syllabic, L1 L2 L4 L5 are 2 syllables each line and L3 & L6 are 4 syllables each.
    • rhymed, rhyme scheme aabccb ddeffe. (aabccbddeffe)
    • Cold by Judi Van Gorder
      Little
      brittle
      fragments of ice
      splinter
      winter
      ski paradise.
My Thanks to Judi Van Gorder for the wonderful resource at PMO
Specifications restated:
Stanzaic:  Any number of sestets
Syllabic: 2/2/4/2/2/4
Rhymed: aabccb
My example poem
Own It, Loan It (Brevee)
Own it
loan it
it’s forgotten.
Home made?
No, ‘fraid
it was boughten.
Pretend
the friend
is really nice-
It’s kind
of mind
to trust them twice.
Well when
again
the same occurs,
out think
the stink
and this trick cures.
Use brain
obtain
for that sad-sack
your want
up front;
borrow it back!
© Lawrencealot – March 14, 2014
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Scallop

  • The Scallop is an invented stanzaic form written in sixains. It was created by Marie L Blanche Adams.
    The Scallop is:

    • stanzaic, written in any number of sixains.
    • syllabic, 2/4/6/6/4/2 syllables per line.
    • rhymed, rhyme scheme abccba deffed ghiihg etc.
My Thanks to Judi Van Gorder for the wonderful resource at PMO
My example poem
What Need for Rhyme    (Scallop)
What need
have you for rhyme?
Is there a purpose served,
are rhyming words deserved
all of the time?
Indeed!
If I
should someday choose
to forego rhyming verse
my spirit would be worse
and I would lose,
so why?
© Lawrencealot –  April 4, 2014
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The Kerf

• The Kerf is a verse form in tercets and is attributed to Marie Adams.
The Kerf is:
○ a poem in 12 lines made up of 4 tercets.
○ syllabic, 6/7/10 per line.
○ rhymed, rhyme scheme abc abc dec dec.
Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=1882#baccresiez
My Thanks to Judi Van Gorder for the wonderful resource at PMO
My Example Poem
If She Says “What ?” (The Kerf)

You could be wrong, you know,
and perhaps you could be right,
and either way it seldom matters much.
You never need to show
your correctness out of spite.
Conceding may help keep you out of dutch.
If your wife should say “What”,
when your statement’s barely out,
it’s possible, you’re somehow out of touch.
Try this to save your butt!
“That’s Fred’s thinking- I’m in doubt.
I wonder darlin’, what you think of such?”
© Lawrencealot – March 28, 2014
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