History: The Amphion is another poetry form attributed to Viola Berg and her 1977 book Pathways for the Poet which we have yet to read and find. Structure: a poem of 10 lines. Lines 1, 4, 7, and 10 are tetrameter (4 beats), and they alternate with couplets in dimeter (2 beats) Rhymed, rhyme scheme...Read More

History: The Empat Perkataan is a traditional Southeast Asian form originating from the Malaccan empire around the 15th century. It was popular in the Riau Archipelago and Malay Peninsula, and is associated with languages such as Malay, Tagalog, Sundanese and Javanese, although examples can be found in English as well. The word Empat is derived from the...Read More

History: Amaranth is a form created by Viola Berg as a teaching tool in her 1977 book Pathways for the Poet. That’s what we’ve been able to find so far, second hand, as we have yet to lay our grubby little hands on the book itself. So far the only source online for this information...Read More

History: Amanda’s Pinch is a form created by Amanda Norton on AllPoetry.com, and we’re still trying to find the original source page for this. Structure: stanza of 8 lines syllable count 12/12/10/8/8/10/12/12 Rhyme Scheme abcDDcba Line 5 repeats line 4 Alliteration is required in every line poem should be centered on the page: this is...Read More

History: The Alouette is a form created by Jan Turner on the poetry community site Shadow Poetry some time around 2008/2009. The form name means ‘Skylark’ in French, and also can mean a children’s song sung in a group. Structure: 2 or more stanzas 6 lines per stanza Meter: 5, 5, 7, 5, 5, 7...Read More

History: The Blood Quill is a form created by Jim T. Henriksen in 2008 on the site AllPoetry.com. According to the man himself, on the post where he first presented it: “I am a huge fan of World of Warcraft, and this is for the guild Poetic Justice. This is written in the form I...Read More

An awdl was originally a poem of indeterminate length with a single end rhyme throughout, in a single meter. In the 12th century, The Poets of the Princes treated this iteration of the awdl as a poem in its own right, but by that time it was becoming more common for it to consist as...Read More

Merriam Webster defines Cyndhanedd (pronounced kung-han-eth) as “a strict intricate system of alliteration and rhyme used in Welsh poetry.” It was developed by the 14th century and codified in the Caerwys Eisteddfod (Assembly of Bards) of 1523. In Welsh poetry, it’s an elaborate system of sound relationships involving accent, alliteration and internal rhyme, and comes in...Read More

Note: In an effort to get as many forms in here as we can before April, we’re going to get a streamlined entry going here. Check back in later for more elaborate posts, including history etc. The Rhupunt (pronounced hree’-pint) is a Welsh poetry form, of the Awdl class of stanzaic forms Structure: each stanza may have three,...Read More

History: The Balassi Stanza is a poetry lyric form introduced by Balint Balassi, (1551-1594), also recorded as Baron Valentin Balassi, and Balint Balassa, considered the most renown lyric poet in Hungarian literature. Structure: Nine lines Lines 3, 6 and 9 share end-rhymes Remaining lines share an end rhyme Any number of stanzas syllable counts 667667667...Read More