Poetry for Jonathan

Forms of Poetry, table of contents

I've decided to put the forms of poetry at the front of the book. The title of the poem that follows a form is at the end of the description in italics. I've also created a bibliography for the pictures that I've used with each poem, giving credit to the creators of the site where I found them and photographers if I could figure out who they were...


Forms of Poetry

Janaku is a poetry form that has three lines per stanza. The first line has one word, the second line has two words and the third line has three words. Jellyfish

Octelle has eight lines and uses personification and symbolism in a telling manner. The syllable count is 8, 8, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8 and the rhyme scheme is aa bb cc aa. The first two lines and the last two lines are identical. Symbiotic Relationship

Nove Otto- a nine lined poem with eight syllables per line. The rhyme scheme is a, a, c, b, b, c, d, d, c Blue Whale

Acrostic Poetry is where the first letter of each line spells a word, usually using the same word/s as in the title. Ichthyology

Tanka is similar to a Haiku. It has five lines with a syllable structure of 5, 7, 5, 7, 7 Yeti Crab

Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry, usually about nature. It contains three lines, with the syllable structure of 5, 7, 5 Beluga Whales

Aquarian Poem - Four lines per stanza, syllable structure per stanza: 2, 4, 6, 4. Rhyme is not required. Coral Garden

Naani means an expression of one and all. It consists of 4 lines, the total lines consists of 20 to 25 syllables. The poem is not bounded to a particular subject. Generally it depends upon human relations and current statements. Coral Reef Octopus


Archimedes- Pi – a hexastich poem (a poem in six lines), measured by the number of words in each line 3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9 to match the numerical sequence of the first six digits of PI, rhyme is not required. Playful Cetaceans

Nonet - is based upon syllable counts. The syllable structure is 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Rhyme and meter are not required. Manta Flight

Diatelle form was created by Bradley Vrooman. The syllable structure of the diatelle is as follows: 1/2/3/4/6/8/10/12/10/8/6/4/3/2/1, and has a set rhyme pattern of a,b,b,c,b,c,c,a,c,c,b,c,b,b,a. This poetry form may be written on any subject matter and looks best center aligned in a diamond shape. Dolphin Fun

Richtameter has a scheme similar to Cinquain. The syllable structure is 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2. Making the final line the same two syllable word you began with. Super Dad

English Tanka - shorter than the Japanese Tanka but the rhythm is the same.
Only 13 syllables total 2, 3, 2, 3, 3. No rhyme or meter required. Ribbon Eel

Whitney consists of one stanza of 7 lines based on syllable count 3 4 3 4 3 4 7 Phytoplankton


Harrisham- six lines with a rhyme scheme of a, b, a, b, a, b. The last letter of the first word in a line is the first letter of the first word in the following line. Red Lionfish

Oddquain Butterflies -is usually unrhymed, with one or more stanzas. Each stanza’s syllable structure is 1,3,5,7,1,7,5,3,1. The poem should be centered. Garden Eels

Utendi- a narrative poem written in any number of quatrains. Each line has eight syllables. It is rhymed – aaab cccb dddb eeeb…. Make a Difference

Grammar Poem uses a transitional word, subject, and verb for the first four lines of a stanza ending with a comma. The fifth line in the stanza is a complete sentence bringing the thoughts of the first four lines together. Rhyme or meter is not required. Parrot Fish

Hexadaud- consists of 12 lines. The syllable count is 2,2,6,6,8,8,4,4,6,6,4,4 with a rhyme scheme of aa, bb, cc, dd, ee, ff. Giant Puffer Fish



Limerick-a rhymed humorous or nonsense poem of five lines which originated in Limerick, Ireland. The Limerick has a set rhyme scheme of : a-a-b-b-a with a syllable structure of: 9-9-6-6-9, and a definite meter. Colorful Parrot Fish