Click pic for contest guidelines and prizes!
I try to write a
very bad haiku as a
bad poem sample
My fellow poet Oz and I are co-hosting the Bad Poetry Day Contest to celebrate Bad Poetry Day on August 18th. Entries will be accepted this coming weekend beginning on Friday. Click the pic to learn more about the guidelines and prizes!
Today I will go over some common poetry styles to help you all out on your quest to be the worst poet! There are so many styles, so here is a good sampling for those who are not well versed (wooohoooo! a pun!) in poetry:
Limerick: This is the great Oz’ expertise. A five line humorous, often nonsensical, poem that has the rhyme scheme of a-a-b-b-a (that is lines 1,2, & 5 rhyme and lines 3 & 4 rhyme).
Haiku: My expertise! A three line poem, with the syllables for each line = 5-7-5. A modern style of haiku is less strict and just requires 17 syllables or less. Usually the last line has a “cut” or switch of subject and traditionally they are written about nature (though not required).
Tanka: Similar to haiku, but five lines with syllables of: 5-7-5-7-7, often the last two lines have a shift in tone/feel.
Sonnets: A 14 line poem often on the topic of love. It follows the rhyme scheme of a-b-a-b… or like Shakespeare: a-b-a-b-c-d-c-d-e-f-e-f-g-g. Sonnets are also usually written in iambic pentameter meter/rhythm: soft-hard-soft-hard. Since this is a bad poetry contest, don’t worry about meter too much if you are not familiar. 🙂
Free Form: Free form poetry gives you the freedom to rhyme, or not, have a meter/rhythm, or not, choose the number of lines, and the subject. Be creative!
Other Broader Styles:
Narratives, Epic Poetry, Ballads: These are much longer usually, and tell a whole story.
Odes: Poetry usually of a serious subject matter.
Lyric: More personal and light subject matter.
Satirical Poetry: Satire.
I look forward to hearing Mama read all your bad poems to me! Good luck and have fun composing! Woooowoooooooo!
We have started writing ours and I don’t noze if it’s in those categories but it’s bad..bawahhwahwhaha xx00xx
Mollie and Alfie
Pawesome Mollie!
Pawesome descriptions Ku!!! I bet we are going to find poems of all styles in this contest!! Wooowoowooo, I can’t wait.
Thanks Oz! So excited! Wooooowooooooo!
Thanks for the info. This sure sounds like fun!
Okay, I’m studying and thinking…we are thinking free form but we will see what we come up with!
Just follow your inner muse! Wooooowooooo, Ku
I wish I could write Limericks like Oz. That would be great! I’m glad, it’s bad poet day, because I’m not really good in such thingies.
WOL! 🙂
Great description of the different ways to write a poem. Unfortunately I don’t think I could even write a really bad one. I will enjoy reading others thou.
Oh, I don’t know, Ku. Are you *really* looking forward to your Mama reading all that bad poetry to you? 😉
You’ve given me and Momz a lot to think about here Ku…we’ve got to get started on our entry soon
Poetry has never been my thing, but maybe it’s because I never knew the different styles. Now you’ve got me thinking!
Give it a try Sage! Besides it’s a bad poetry contest! 🙂 Woooowooooooo! Ku
OMD!! I (Wally) am already brainstorming bad poetry themes and ideas – this is going to be pawsome!
Coooowooowooooooooool!
I haven’t started yet, but will try to get something to you soon!
No rush, you have all week! The linky thingy will be posted Friday and you’ll have all weekend to add your bad poem! Woooowoooo!
I had fun reading all of the “bad” poetry around bloggie land. But most of it was fun and not bad at all!