Wednesday, April 30, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 30

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. The only rule I have set for myself is that I choose forms I am unfamiliar with. Here are some of the resources I am referencing. 

Today, I'm sharing a Zeno.
In 2009, I had the pleasure of introducing a new poetic form invented by J. Patrick Lewis. Here's Pat's explanation.

I've invented what I had called a “hailstone," after the mathematical "hailstone sequence." It has nothing to do with Mary O'Neill's Hailstones and Halibut Bones, but it would no doubt instantly be confused with it. Hence, "hailstone" is problematic. So I call the form a "zeno," so named for Zeno, the philosopher of paradoxes, especially the dichotomy paradox, according to which getting anywhere involves first getting halfway there and then again halfway there, and so on ad infinitum. I'm dividing each line in half of the previous one. 

Here's Pat's description of a Zeno:
A 10-line verse form with a repeating syllable count of 8,4,2,1,4,2,1,4,2,1. The rhyme scheme is abcdefdghd.

You can read the original post, which includes examples Pat wrote at Monday Poetry Stretch - the Zeno.

The pitcher stands upon the mound 
the crowd awaits 
he throws 
fast 
bat connects - CRACK!
ball flies 
past 
the outfield wall
 homerun
BLAST!

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.
(1908) Roger Bresnahan, catching for the New York Giants while a Pittsburgh Pirate player is at bat. , 1908. [Sept. 18] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/89714219/.

And that is a wrap on another National Poetry Month project. I hope you've enjoyed exploring some new forms this month. You can find all the poems written this month on the page NPM 2025 - Uncommon and Unusual Forms. Thanks so much for joining me on this journey. Until next time ...
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Tuesday, April 29, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 29

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. The only rule I have set for myself is that I choose forms I am unfamiliar with. Here are some of the resources I am referencing. 

Today, I'm sharing a sidlak.
A sidlak is a 5-line syllabic poem that includes a color word. The first four lines are written in 3/5/7/9 syllables, with the syllable count of line 5 left to the poet's discretion. Line five includes a color that portrays the whole poem or the writer's feelings without any syllable count restriction. You can learn more about this form at Poetry Magnum Opus.

A Sidlak for Summer Rain

thunder rolls
lightning splits the sky
heavy raindrops driving down
to earth, rising scent of petrichor
day wrapped in gray

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.

I hope you come back tomorrow to see what new poetic form I've chosen. You can also read the other poems I've written this month.

To see what others are writing this month, check out  Jama Rattigan's 2025 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup.            

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Monday, April 28, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 28

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. The only rule I have set for myself is that I choose forms I am unfamiliar with. Here are some of the resources I am referencing. 

Today, I'm sharing a solage.
A solage is a very short poem that has two small lines that rhyme and ends with a single word. It was invented by Australian poet Cameron Semmons. I learned about the form in a document written by Cameron entitled How to write your own Solage. 

A Trio of Solage Poems

peacock struts with tail unfurled  
surveying pieces of his world  
ego  


parrots mimic every sound  
echoes of the voices found  
gossip


in the reeds, the heron stands  
fishing on the wetland strand 
breakfast

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.

I hope you come back tomorrow to see what new poetic form I've chosen. You can also read the other poems I've written this month.

To see what others are writing this month, check out  Jama Rattigan's 2025 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup.            

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Sunday, April 27, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 27

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. The only rule I have set for myself is that I choose forms I am unfamiliar with. Here are some of the resources I am referencing. 

Today, I'm sharing a raccontino.
Helen Frost used this form in her book Spinning Through the Universe: A Novel in Poems from Room 214. A raccontino is a form that follows these rules:

  • composed of couplets (any number)
  • even number lines share the same end rhyme
  • the title and last words of the odd numbered lines tell a story

Since the title and end words need to form a story, I chose a proverb to be my story. That means this form wrote like a golden shovel with a few extra rules. I have highlighted the title and end words so that you can more easily read the story.

Absence

the quiet months of winter makes
the world seem still, wrapped in frosted hue

but as the Earth awakens, the
sky welcomes wings that once withdrew

the swallows return and my heart
finds joy in pairings where two

in graceful arcs their swift flights grow
into a vibrant pulse of life anew

despite deep love for snow, I am now fonder
of the sights and sounds that spring imbues

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.

I hope you come back tomorrow to see what new poetic form I've chosen. You can also read the other poems I've written this month.

To see what others are writing this month, check out  Jama Rattigan's 2025 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup.           

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Saturday, April 26, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 26

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. The only rule I have set for myself is that I choose forms I am unfamiliar with. Here are some of the resources I am referencing. 

Today, I'm sharing a naani.
A naani is a 4-line poem containing between 20-25 syllables. There are no other rules or guidelines. You can read more about this form at Shadow Poetry.

In morning's soft light,
heron casts its shadow—
gracefully poised, waiting
for the river’s secret catch

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.

I hope you come back tomorrow to see what new poetic form I've chosen. You can also read the other poems I've written this month.

To see what others are writing this month, check out  Jama Rattigan's 2025 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup.           

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Friday, April 25, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 25

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. I'm deviating a bit from that today as I join my poetry sisters in writing a poem to a vintage photograph. 

I have so many great photographs of my grandparents and great grandparents, as well as photos my father took while stationed in Hawaii during the war that I had a hard time choosing. On Sunday, when we met, I selected photos, but my writing was too messy and I wasn't happy with the free verse I'd written. When I selected a form, everything fell into place. I love triolets, so that's what I went with. A triolet is an eight-line poem with a tightly rhymed structure and repeated lines. Here is the form.

line 1 - A
line 2 - B
line 3 - A
line 4 - line 1 repeated
line 5 - A
line 6 - B
line 7 - line 1 repeated
line 8 - line 2 repeated

You can read an example and learn more about this form at Poets.org.

This first photo is of my grandfather. 

When I saw this, I wondered where my grandmother was. I imagine she was off in the kitchen cooking or cleaning, so this poem is about the two of them.

While Grampa Sleeps
In dreams, he finds his gentle rest 
while she, through toil, must bear the day 
a world where labor's lines are pressed
In dreams, he finds his gentle rest
her hands, though weary, still invest
in keeping house, the mess at bay
In dreams, he finds his gentle rest
while she, through toil, must bear the day

My second poem is written to a photograph of the art on a WWII plane. My father had an album of photographs from his time stationed in Hawaii during the war. We never knew it existed until after his death. The war was something he never discussed. The album had several pages of nose art, most sporting half-naked pin-up girls. I chose a less racy image for my poem.

A Flying Ace's Dream
On metal wings, her image stays
a pin-up dream for skies of war
she graces flights in daring ways
On metal wings, her image stays
through battles fought and skies ablaze
by his side through engine's roar
On metal wings, her image stays
a pin-up dream for skies of war

Poems ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.

You can read the poems my Poetry Sisters have written at the links below. 
Would you like to try the next challenge? We are writing Golden shovels using a line from the Elizabeth Bishop poem Letter to NY. Are you in? Good! You’ve got a month to craft your creation(s), then share your offering with the rest of us on May 30th in a post and/or on social media with the tag #PoetryPals. We look forward to reading your poems! 

I hope you'll take some time to check out all the wonderful poetic things being shared and collected today by Heidi Mordhorst at my juicy little universe. 

I also hope you'll come back tomorrow to see what new poetic form I've chosen. You can also read the other poems I've written this month.

To see what others are writing this month, check out  Jama Rattigan's 2025 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup.    

Happy poetry Friday all!

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Thursday, April 24, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 24

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. The only rule I have set for myself is that I choose forms I am unfamiliar with. Here are some of the resources I am referencing. 

Today, I'm sharing an haiku sonnet.
A haiku sonnet combines the syllable count and three-line stanzaic structure of the English haiku with the fourteen-line structure of the sonnet. You can learn more about the form at Writer's Digest.

blank page waits in still
silent echoes of ideas
ink's journey begins

words flow like a stream,
carving paths through paper's edge
stories start to breathe

passion guides the hand
whispers turn to vibrant scenes
life in every line

characters take shape
worlds unfold in quiet scribe
imagination's flight

crafting dreams with every word
endless tales yet to be heard

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.

I hope you come back tomorrow to see what new poetic form I've chosen. You can also read the other poems I've written this month.

To see what others are writing this month, check out  Jama Rattigan's 2025 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup.            

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Wednesday, April 23, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 23

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. The only rule I have set for myself is that I choose forms I am unfamiliar with. Here are some of the resources I am referencing. 

Today, I'm sharing an anagram poem.
An anagram is a word spelled out by rearranging the letters of another word; for example, “To listen is to be silent," where listen and silent are anagrams. An anagram poem contains anagrams. In my poem, I have highlighted the anagrams in red.

Schoolhouse Anagram

twelve plus one = eleven plus two
said the schoolmaster in the classroom
pupils listen and are silent
math and poetry
low on their list of favorites
it’s science they love
they see everything
the flutter-by of a butterfly
the winding path of an ant
they want to be astronomers and moon starers
in their dreams they are rocket boys
flying through the October sky

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.
Photo - Rothstein, A., photographer. (1942) Untitled photo, possibly related to: Dunklin County, Missouri. Children in a consolidated rural school. Missouri Dunklin County United States, 1942. July. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2017835167/.

I hope you come back tomorrow to see what new poetic form I've chosen. You can also read the other poems I've written this month.

To see what others are writing this month, check out  Jama Rattigan's 2025 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup.           

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Tuesday, April 22, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 22

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. The only rule I have set for myself is that I choose forms I am unfamiliar with. Here are some of the resources I am referencing. 

Today, I'm sharing an octelle.
An octelle is a poem consisting of eight lines that uses personification or symbolism. The syllable count is 8, 8, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8. The rhyme scheme is AA/bb/cc/AA. The first two lines and the last two lines are identical. You can learn more about this form at Shadow Poetry.


Octelle for the Rain

in soft whispers, the rain will fall 
answering the plea of drought's call
dancing drops from skies of gray 
kissing earth throughout the day  
with every drop, dry ground breaks
water rising in streams and lakes 
in soft whispers, the rain will fall  
answering the plea of drought's call

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.

I hope you come back tomorrow to see what new poetic form I've chosen. You can also read the other poems I've written this month.

To see what others are writing this month, check out  Jama Rattigan's 2025 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup.           

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Monday, April 21, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 21

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. The only rule I have set for myself is that I choose forms I am unfamiliar with. Here are some of the resources I am referencing. 

Today, I'm sharing an AI Chat poem.
I'm sure there's a definition of AI generated poetry out there, but this poem grew out of an attempt to have a poetic conversation with AI. I'm not sure it was successful, but this is what I've got. I have edited some of the text from the chatbot, as it is a bit wordy if your prompt doesn't restrict its word length.


Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.

I hope you come back tomorrow to see what new poetic form I've chosen. You can also read the other poems I've written this month.

To see what others are writing this month, check out  Jama Rattigan's 2025 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup.           

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Sunday, April 20, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 20

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. The only rule I have set for myself is that I choose forms I am unfamiliar with. Here are some of the resources I am referencing. 

Today I'm sharing a Vocabularyclept poem.
A vocabularyclept poem is created by taking a poet’s existing poem and rearranging the words to create a completely new poem. I took the first stanza from the Jack Prelutsky poem Last Night I Dreamed of Chickens, alphabetized the words, and used them to write a new poem. I didn't add any new words, but did allow myself to repeat words as needed. 

Chickens in My Head

on my bed
my pillow
on my pillow
my head
in my pillow
chicken feathers
in my bed
I dreamed

there, there

I dreamed 
about chickens
they were
hopping
nesting
pecking
ruffling
standing
everywhere

there, there

my hair standing up
my stomach hopping
I dreamed
of chickens 
as their heads
raced my head

there, there

last night I dreamed
of chickens

Poem by Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025.

I hope you come back tomorrow to see what new poetic form I've chosen. You can also read the other poems I've written this month.

To see what others are writing this month, check out  Jama Rattigan's 2025 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup.          

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Saturday, April 19, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 19

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. The only rule I have set for myself is that I choose forms I am unfamiliar with. Here are some of the resources I am referencing. 

Today I'm sharing a chain verse poem.
A chain verse poem repeats the last word or syllable of a line with the first word or syllable of the next line. You can learn more about this form at Poetry Magnum Opus.

birds soar through the endless sky
sky echoes with their vibrant calls
calls that dance on gentle winds
winds carry them to distant lands
lands where sunlit trees await
await their songs at dawn's first light

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.

I hope you come back tomorrow to see what new poetic form I've chosen. You can also read the other poems I've written this month.

To see what others are writing this month, check out  Jama Rattigan's 2025 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup.          

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Friday, April 18, 2025

NPM 2025 - Poem 18

For National Poetry Month this year, I am writing poems in uncommon, unusual, or inventive poetic forms. The only rule I have set for myself is that I choose forms I am unfamiliar with. Here are some of the resources I am referencing. 

Today I'm sharing a Univocal poem.
A univocal poem is one that uses only ONE vowel throughout the piece, restricting the use of all other vowels.  You can learn more about this form at Discovering Oulipo and The Freedom of Constrained Writing. I chose the topic of birds and the letter i, so the letters a, e, o, u, and y were off limits.

birds in flight
in whitish mist,
wind's crisp kiss
wings lift, drift
flit in bliss,
birds' chirps ring
sing! sing!

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.

I hope you come back tomorrow to see what new poetic form I've chosen. You can also read the other poems I've written this month.

To see what others are writing this month, check out  Jama Rattigan's 2025 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup.      

I hope you'll take some time to check out all the wonderful poetic things being shared and collected today by Jone Rush MacCulloch. Happy Poetry Friday friends.   

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