Types of poetry

Though I tend to favor free verse, I think expanding my range should help me keep momentum as the year goes on. ABC poem An ABC poem has 5 lines that create a mood, picture, or feeling. Lines 1 through 4 are made up of words, phrases or clauses - and the first word of each line is in alphabetical order from the first word. Line 5 is one sentence, beginning with any letter. Ballad A poem that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend and often has a repeated refrain. Ballade A type of poem, usually with three stanzas of seven, eight, or ten lines and a shorter final stanza of four or five lines. All stanzas end with the same one-line refrain. Blank verse Poetry that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. Blank verse is often unobtrusive and the iambic pentameter form often resembles the rhythms of ordinary speech. Shakespeare wrote most of his plays in blank verse. Carpe diem A Latin expression that means "seize the day." Carpe diem poems have the theme of living for today.   CinquainA cinquain has five lines. Line 1 is one word (the title) Line 2 is two words that describe the title. Line 3 is three words that tell the action Line 4 is four words that express the feeling Line 5 is one word that recalls the title Couplet A couplet has rhyming stanzas each made up of two lines. Shakespearean sonnets usually end in a couplet. Free verse (also vers libre) Poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set fixed metrical pattern or expectation. Haiku A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. Haiku reflects on some aspect of nature. Idyll, or Idyl   Either a short poem depicting a peaceful, idealized country scene, or a long poem that tells a story about heroes of a bye gone age. Name PoemA name poem tells about the word. It uses the letters of the word for the first letter of each line. Pastoral A poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, idealized way for example of shepherds or country life. Quatrain A stanza or poem of four lines. Lines 2 and 4 must rhyme. Lines 1 and 3 may or may not rhyme. Rhyming lines should have a similar number of syllables. Rhyme A rhyme has the repetition of the same or similar sounds at the end of two or more words most often at the ends of lines. There are several derivatives of this term which include double rhyme, Triple rhyme, rising rhyme, falling rhyme, Perfect and imperfect rhymes. Senryu A short Japanese poem that is similar to a haiku in structure but treats human beings rather than nature, often in a humorous or satiric way. Sonnet English (or Shakespearean) sonnets are lyric poems that are 14 lines long falling into three coordinate quatrains and a concluding couplet. Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnets are divided into two quatrains and a six-line sestet. Tanka A Japanese poem of five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and the rest of seven. Terza rima A type of poetry consisting of 10 or 11 syllable lines arranged in three-line "tercets". The poet Dante is credited with inventing terza rima and it has been used by many English poets including Chaucer, Milton, Shelley, and Auden.

The initial idea

I've never been good with New Year's resolutions.  They usually end up being kinda lame and die out some time in early February.

So, a few years ago I started making my resolutions on my birthday instead.  It worked better, but 2009 had so much going on that my birthday passed without any big goal being set.

As the new year draws closer, I decided to be ambitious.  I love writing and it has unfortunately taken a backseat to other pursuits recently.  To get back on track I issued myself this challenge; to write one poem a day for a year.  That's 365 poems by December 31, 2010.

Will I succeed?  That's the question, isn't it.