Types of Poetry

Ode Definition (Write this on the page below the flap): a poem that celebrates a subject; a tribute to an object, person, or event; can be serious or humorous; may or may not use rhyme or meter. Examples (Write these on the back of the flap): Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes

from “Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes” They wait under Pablo’s bed, Rain-beaten, sun-beaten, A scuff of green At their tips From when he fell In the school yard. He fell leaping for a football That sailed his way. But Pablo fell and got up, Green on his shoes, With the football Out of reach.

Haiku Definition (Write this on the page below the flap): very short poem of Japanese origin; contains 17 syllables; 1st line has 5, 2nd line has 7, 3rd line has 5; USUALLY about nature and/or seasons Examples (Write these on the back of the flap): “In the Twilight Rain”

In the Twilight Rain by Matsuo Basho In the twilight rain these brilliant-hued hibiscus . . . A lovely sunset

Free Verse Definition (Write this on the page below the flap): poetry that has no regular rhythm, meter, rhyme, or structure Examples (Write these on the back of the flap): “Fog” by Carl Sandburg

Fog by Carl Sandburg The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.

Sonnet Definition (Write this on the page below the flap): a poem with 14 lines; each line has 10 syllables; written in iambic pentameter (alternating stressed/unstressed syllables); Rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG Examples (Write these on the back of the flap): “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day” by William Shakespeare

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? By Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed. But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st; Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st, So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Elegy Definition (Write this on the page below the flap): a poem written in response to the death of a person or group; may express grief, sorrow, praise, admiration, or solace; A poem of mourning Examples (Write these on the back of the flap): “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John

Candle in the Wind by Elton John Goodbye Norma Jean Though I never knew you at all You had the grace to hold yourself While those around you crawled They crawled out of the woodwork And they whispered into your brain They set you on the treadmill And they made you change your name And it seems to me you lived your life Like a candle in the wind Never knowing who to cling to When the rain set in And I would have liked to have known you But I was just a kid Your candle burned out long before Your legend ever did

Ballad Definition (Write this on the page below the flap): a poem that is meant to be sung; tells a story (often sad); refrains; simple rhyme scheme and regular meters Examples (Write these on the back of the flap): “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John

from Ballad of Birmingham by Dudley Randall “Mother dear, may I go downtown Instead of out to play, And march the streets of Birmingham In a Freedom March today?” “No, baby, no, you may not go, For the dogs are fierce and wild, And clubs and hoses, guns and jails Aren’t good for a little child.” “But, mother, I won’t be alone. Other children will go with me, To make our country free.” For I fear those guns will fire. But you may go to church instead And sing in the children’s choir.”

Narrative Definition (Write this on the page below the flap): a form of poetry that tells a story and has a setting, characters, and a plot; written in structured form with rhyme; can be long or short, simple or complex Examples (Write these on the back of the flap): “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

from Paul Revere’s Ride by H.W. Longfellow Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend, "If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch Of the North Church tower as a signal light,-- One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm

Lyric Definition (Write this on the page below the flap): poetry that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the writer or speaker; songlike quality or set to a beat; specific rhyming Schemes Examples (Write these on the back of the flap): “Annabel Lee” by E.A. Poe

from Annabel Lee by Poe It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of ANNABEL LEE; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me. I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by the sea; But we loved with a love that was more than love- I and my Annabel Lee; With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven Coveted her and me. And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee;

Poetry can be about any subject! A Poem for Lonely Prime Numbers