April is Poetry Month. So, whether you wish to express undying love, political angst, or merely revel in the beauty of nature, this month is for you. Poetry comes in many forms. But all poetry uses an economy of words to express emotion, deliver an idea, or paint a picture with as few carefully chosen words as possible. Rhyme and Meter Poets use a variety of techniques. Rhyme refers to the same ending sound. Meter is the musical quality, or cadence of a piece. Combining rhyme and meter, the poet limits the word choice and length of a poem. Consider the simplest of poems, perhaps the first one you learned…
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Diamante and Haiku
There are more than a hundred different poetry forms. Today I want to introduce you to diamante and haiku. Diamante The diamante poetry form is a relative newcomer. It was invented in 1969 by an American poet and educator named Iris McClellan Tiedt. The rules for this form are very straightforward. There are seven lines. The first and last lines have a single noun. The second and sixth lines have two adjectives. The third and fifth lines contain three verbs. The middle-or fourth line is made up of four nouns. When centered on the page this poetry form is diamond-shaped. That’s where it gets its name. Diamante is Italian for…
