Different Types of Poems

Poetry has always been one of the best ways to express one's sentiments. Whether it is deep love for someone or frustration and a nasty temper that one wants to get rid of, poetry has always been a refuge that many people have resorted to. There is something about the innate sincerity of words used by poets that can truly move people and touch their souls. And types of poems that already exists and some that are invented by people with a creative streak in them, just add to the splendor and beauty of the whole concept of poetry. In this article, you will get a glimpse of the various types of poems and how to write them, with some examples. Read them and you might identify your style.

Types of Poems with Examples
Poetry can be classified on the basis of its form, structure, physical representation and also by the selection of theme, genre and words used.. Given below is a gist of some of the most popular kinds of poems that have been seen and continue to evolve in literature.

Acrostic: An acrostic poem is a poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word on its own. In most cases, the title of the poem itself is spelled out by the first letter of each line. Here's an example titled Heartbreaking, by Jody Kuperavage.

He broke my heart
Every piece, shattered
All I wanted was his love
Real, as he promised
True, as mine for him
But he walked away
Right in the middle of paradise
Every beat of my heart
Aches for his love
Keeping the flame aglow
I will wait by the light
Never losing the hope
God will send him back to me

Alphabet: An alphabet poem is a poem in which each consecutive line begins with the next alphabet. Which means that the first letter of the first line is 'A', the first letter of the second line is 'B' and so on. Here's an example by an unknown author.

Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow

Ballad: A ballad is generally a poetic form of a long story. The most popular theme for ballads is love and can often be about a legend or folklore. A ballad is most often sung rather than recited like a normal poem.

Blank Verse: In this type of poetry style, the entire poem does not seem to have any form of rhyme or rhythm in it. That means it does not follow the iambic pentameter form, and instead a blank verse often resembles normal daily conversation, due to the absence of rhyme and rhythm.

Cinquain: Adelaide Crapsey, an Imagist poet developed this style of poetry. It involves the use of 5 lines, comprising a total of just 22 syllables, and in the following order. The five lines represent the subject of the poem, the description of the subject, the action performed by the subject, the effect of the action of the subject and a word that is synonymous with the subject, respectively.

Clerihew: Clerihe style of poetry is a combination of two couplets to form a comical verse, generally about a person. The rhyme scheme followed is 'a-a-b-b'. The first couplet introduces the person and the second one tells us something funny about him or her.

Concrete or Shape: As the name suggests, shape poetry is a form of poetry that takes the form of the subject or theme of the poetry, in its physical representation. For instance, a poem about a rainbow can be written in a curve, using the seven colors of the rainbow to write it. It is quite an interesting and creative way of writing poetry and can be tried easily by anyone. Check out this example, Birth of a Triangle, by Alex Goldenberg

mama and papa and baby make three,
reaching sides of a three-sided tree.
oedipal winds rustle from leaves;
triangular shapes converting
dissimilarity into peeves.
straight lines connect
the corners turned;
mirrored sight
un-burned;
buried
am
I

Couplet: This is probably the most popular style of poetry. It consists of two lines that rhyme with each other. Combinations of couplets are used in other styles of poetry.

Diamonte: In this kind of poetry, the physical shape of the written poem, which has 7 lines, form a diamond. The lines are arranged in the following order.

1. The introduction of the subject
2. 2 describing words for the first subject
3. 3 '-ing' words for the first subject
4. 4 words, out of which 2 describe the first subject and 2 describe the synonym or antonym used in the last line
5. 3 '-ing' words for the synonym or antonym
6. 2 describing words for the synonym or antonym
7. The synonym or antonym of the subject.

Didactic Poetry: Didactic poems offer a way of instructing the readers about something. It is most commonly used to teach little children things like tying shoe laces, etc.

Epic: Adventure, heroism, accomplishments are all the highlights of epic poems. They revolve around mythology, legends and history of places and people. The most well-known epic is definitely the Iliad, by Homer.

Etheree: An etheree is a poem that has 10 lines. The number of syllables in each line increases from 1 to 10 as the poem progresses. Here is an example by Andrea Dietrich, Your Wild Awakening.

Scent
of woods;
callouses
on hands I stroke
speak of hard-spent days.
I trace a stubbled chin
and hear my name unspoken
in a warm unwavering gaze.
Pressing kisses taste of surging need.
I revel in your wild awakening.

Fable: A fable is a poem that is something like a short story. It can be composed in verses depicting a story that ends with a moral. Aesop's fables are an example.

Ghazal: Characterized by the use of odd number of couplets, each with a refrain (maximum 3 words) and an inline rhyme that occurs in the first and second line and then in every second line, a ghazal is a beautiful form of poetry that can include the author's name in the second last line. The following one by Gene Doty will help you understand better.

The silver maple's new green holds weariness:
under the redbud, in clean dirt, only weariness.

Closing the window against thunder-laden air,
I see through the screen a passerby's weariness.

Qoheleth in his bitter book complains against the wind
and finds in all that's seen or heard endless weariness.

Come, wife, and settle your head on my shoulder;
on the pillows we lean and seek to dispel our weariness.

Gino, why did you write these tiresome lines?
Don't you know that verses only mean weariness?

Haiku: Haiku is a form of poetry that is native to Japan. The syllable scheme of Haiku poems, which have a verse of 3 unrhymed lines, is 5-7-5. Here is an example by Basho,

An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.

Kyrielle: This is a French form of poetry. Its main features are that it is written in stanzas of 4 lines each (quatrain), each line has only 8 syllables and a refrain is repeated as the last line of every quatrain. The following example by John Payne, A Little Pain, is a perfect example.

A little pain, a little pleasure.
A little heaping up of treasure,
Then no more gazing upon the sun.
All things must end that have begun.

Where is the time for hope or doubt?
A puff of the wind and life is out:
A turn of the wheel and the rest is won.
All things must end that have begun.

Golden mornings and purple night,
Life that fails with the failing light:
Death is the only deathless one.
All things must end that have begun.

Limerick: A limerick format is quite simple to understand. It is a humorous poem of 5 lines with a rhyme scheme of 'a-a-b-b-a' and the number of syllables in the lines are 9, 9, 6, 6, and 9. Here are some limerick examples for you to check out.

Monody: This is a poem written in order to bemoan the death of a person. William Wordsworth's, She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways, given below is a perfect example.

She dwelt among the untrodden ways
Beside the springs of Dove,
A Maid whom there were none to praise
And very few to love:

A violet by a mossy stone
Half hidden from the eye!
Fair as a star, when only one
Is shining in the sky.

She lived unknown, and few could know
When Lucy ceased to be;
But she is in her grave, and, oh,
The difference to me!

Monorhyme: A monorhyme, as you may have already guessed is a poem that has only one rhyme scheme. All the lines of this poem rhyme.

Nonet: A nonet is a poem of 9 lines. The number of syllables in each line reduces from 9 to 1 as the poem progresses. This means the 1st line has 9 syllables and the 9th line has 1 syllable.

Ode: This poetry style extols a person, place or thing. There is no hard and fast rule regarding the rhyme scheme and other features in an ode.

Palindrome: A palindrome is the name for a word that can be spelled both ways and the spelling wouldn't change. Two examples are mom and dad. In the same way, a palindrome poem has one 'reflecting' word in the center of the poem and then the poem is written backwards, just like a mirror image. Here is one, by Jerry P. Quinn, called Unseen Travelers.

Spoken Breath
Creating flesh and spirit
Souls stirring divine dances
Leaping, joyful with life
Entertaining harmony and grace
Angels of myriads and myriads
Sentinel watchers
Merging unseen
~Travelers~
Unseen merging
Watchers, Sentinel
Myriads and myriads of angels
Grace and harmony entertaining
Life with joyful leaping
Dances divine, stirring souls
Spirit and flesh creating
Breath spoken.

Quatrain: A quatrain is a 4 lined poem that follows a specific rhyme scheme. Just like couplets, quatrains are combined and used in other forms of poetry.

Septolet: A septolet is a 7 line poem that has a fixed syllable structure. The number of syllables increases from 1 to 4 in the first 4 lines, and from the 5th line, the number reduces from 4 to 1. That means that in a septolet, the corresponding lines have equal number of syllables.

Sonnet: Sonnets are poems that consist of 14 lines each. These lines are lyrically and rhythmically arranged using varying rhyme schemes. The two most popular types of sonnet poems are the Italian and the Shakespearean ones.

Tanka: A tanka poem, is a 5 lined Japanese style poem that does not rhyme, but has a fixed syllable structure of 5-7-5-7-5. The total number of syllables does not exceed 31. Here is an example by Ueda Miyoji.

To live is to break
One's heart for the sake of love;
A couple of doves,
Beaks touching on their way,
Are stepping out in the sun.

Triolet: In a triolet, there are 8 lines which follow two rhyme schemes. There are also two refrains which are repeated. These are the 2nd line being repeated as the 8th and the 1st line being repeated as the 4th and the 7th. You'll understand better with this example by Thomas Hardy called Birds at Winter.

Around the house the flakes fly faster,
And all the berries now are gone
From holly and cotoneaster
Around the house. The flakes fly! - faster
Shutting indoors the crumb-outcaster
We used to see upon the lawn
Around the house. The Flakes fly faster
And all the berries now are gone!

The types of poems mentioned above may not be a complete list, but an attempt to cover most of them has been made nevertheless. Hope it helped you to learn and enjoy different styles of poetry that exist. You may also want to have a look at the world of figurative language which makes poetry as enjoyable as it is.