History: What’s currently considered the “English Madrigal”, that being, according to semi-common agreement and put in print by Lewis Turco, an Italian madrigal form given more strict English language rules by Geoffrey Chaucer, is in actuality a variation of the Rondel. It is mistaken for a madrigal variation on occasion because of the similarities between...Read More

History: Abhang, or AbhangaHistory: Abhang, or Abhanga, is a form of devotional poetry sung in praise of the Hindu god Vitthala also known as Vithoba. It was popular from the 13th thru 17th centuries Marathi Region of India. The word "abhang" comes from a for "non-" and bhang for "ending" or "interrupting", in other words, a...Read More

History This is a fun poetic form and, precisely for that, it is in many cases how we are introduced to poetry in grade school. There is something in a child’s mind about secret messages… Acrostics have a long and distinguished history. You can find it back in the prophecies of the Erithraean Sibyl (that,...Read More

History: Pronounced ‘aye, freshly’ as in “has this room been painted?” “aye, freshly” (booo hisssss, baaad pun)…this is an Irish syllabic, quatrain stanza form. There is so much to say about Celtic Forms that we really should do a full post on it. So we will: check out the post on our favorite masochistic poetry past...Read More

History: An alexandroidHistory: An alexandroid takes its name from the alexandrine that it is composed of. An Alexandrine is a name used for several verse line types, most of which consist of two hemistichs (half-lines) of six syllables each, separated by a caesura (a word break, though it's a bit more than that...more on that later)....Read More

History: The AllitersenHistory: The Allitersen is an invented form (can we discuss for a second the absurdity of that term? What, were ballades created by the Big Bang along with the rocks and the platypus?) created by Udit Bhatia and debuted on Shadow Poetry. Structure: The Allitersen actually seems more complicated than it is, due...Read More

History: The AlouetteHistory: 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,...Read More

History: Amanda’s PinchHistory: 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...Read More

History: AmaranthHistory: 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...Read More

History: The AmphionHistory: 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...Read More