F is for Florette

 First my poem, then an explanation and a sample.

Night Shift

People think I'm crazy to work

Night shift, as if only a jerk

Would work at this time on the clock

I wonder why it causes shock that nights I work

I don't sleep well in the nighttime

Why is this considered a crime?

Somebody must work late at night

Why is it that others do slight the nighttime chime?

~Cie~

Likely not the best poem I ever wrote, but it does have a certain je ne sais quoi.

Florette

The Florette, created by Jan Turner, consists of two or more 4-line stanzas.

Rhyme scheme: a,a,b,a
Meter: 8,8,8,12
Fourth line requirement of internal (b) rhyme scheme, on syllable 8.

Like the outgrowing of a small flower, the forth line of each stanza is longer, and enwraps the previous lines. Line #4 requires an internal rhyme scheme that rhymes the eighth syllable with the end of line #3, and continues to add on four more syllables than the other lines so that the fourth line ends rhyming with lines #1 and #2.

Example:

The Healing (For Emily)

Perhaps you’d say she slept away
another long hot summer day,
but she’s been fiercely knitting bones...
so silence all your undertones that would dismay!

It might appear she’s been undone
but she could still give you a run!
You say she gives impassive stare
but you are simply unaware that she has won.

You cannot judge her anyhow...
just see that sweat upon her brow
as silently she treads along
the path that comes with winter’s song; she can avow.

Her courage you can’t contemplate.
You say it’s simply just her fate
that’s kept her there, in reverie:
incognizant of bravery, you understate.

Copyright © 2009 Jan Turner

E is for Epulaeryu

I'll present mine first, then provide an explanation and a sample.

Dia-Beaten

I wish I could just grab food

Without having to

Worry whether it's okay

For me to eat it

Without it raising

Blood sugar

Damn!

~The Cheese~

Epulaeryu

The Epulaeryu poem is all about delicious food. It consists of seven lines with thirty-three (33) syllables. The first line has seven (7) syllables, the second line five (5), the third line seven (7), the fourth line five (5), the fifth line five (5), the sixth line three (3), and the seventh line has only one (1) syllable which ends with an exclamation mark. The form is 7/5/7/5/5/3/1. Each line has one thought which is about the main course. Therefore, this poetic form, the Epulaeryu, which has corresponding lines built around the main course and ending with an exclamation point, concludes with the ending line expressing the writer’s excitement and feelings about the poem. The poem may be rhymed or unrhymed. The Epulaeryu poem was developed by Joseph Spence, Sr. The name of the poetic form was selected as a result of experiencing the Mediterranean and Far East cultures, and enjoying many succulent and nourishing meals and food during those memorable travels.


Example #1:
Eggs of Easter

Eggs are in the pots steaming
Stove’s flame is gleaming
The smiles will be beaming
Great treat for the kids
Multicolored bids
Easter eggs
Yea!

Copyright © 2006 Joseph Spence, Sr.

D is for Decuain

Image Source

First mine, then an explanation and a sample.

Insanity

Let's do a blog on the A to Z challenge, they said

"That sounds all right," I replied

"It shouldn't be too hard on my head."

But my wicked team members lied

"Five blogs?" I in horror cried.

"Are you insane?" I demanded.

My brain was quickly fried

To the men in white coats I'll soon be remanded

My mind is full of bread

My sanity's in shreds.

~Illsa~

Decuain

The Decuain (pronounced deck•won), created by Shelley A. Cephas, is a short poem made up of 10 lines, which can be written on any subject. There are 10 syllables per line and the poem is written in iambic pentameter.

There are 3 set choices of rhyme scheme:

ababbcbcaa, ababbcbcbb, or ababbcbccc

For a longer Decuain poem, add more stanzas for a double, triple, quatruple, etc. Decuain.


Example #1:
Dear Heart…

Our dearest Susan has a tender heart,
a mother who’s devoted to her son,
her love and wisdom to him she’ll impart,
so when they are together they have fun;
I know their love shall never come undone.
She’s special to her friends and family,
a gift from God, who’s loved by everyone
for truly she is blessed with dignity,
in this I’m sure that we would all agree
because I know she has been good to me.

Copyright © 2008 Shelley A. Cephas

C is for Cascade

Image source

Hello friends! The following poetry form looks like a fun challenge. I'll present my poem first, then you can read about the form and see the example below.

Caught in a Lie

He thought that he was so smart

Or I such a fool

But I was onto his game

He was transparent

As window glass

He thought that he was so smart

Perhaps he believed his own lies

Thought himself such a genius

Or I such a fool

He thought he could have his cake

And eat it too

But I was onto his game.

~Adam~

Note:

Every now and then my ex and I cross paths. I wasted nearly 21 years of my life on his emotional abuse, infidelity, and broken promises. I'm not pining for him, nor would I take him back for the world. Poems like this could be considered balm for the soul of that insecure young man that I once was. 

On a happier note, the more self-assured older me wasn't even looking when the right man came into my life. This Halloween will be our fourth anniversary!

~A~

Cascade

Cascade, a form created by Udit Bhatia, is all about receptiveness, but in a smooth cascading way like a waterfall. The poem does not have any rhyme scheme; therefore, the layout is simple. Say the first verse has three lines. Line one of verse one becomes the last line of verse two. To follow in suit, the second line of verse one becomes the last line of verse three. The third line of verse one now becomes the last line of verse four, the last stanza of the poem. See the structure example below:

a/b/c, d/e/A, f/g/B, h/i/C

To make the Cascade an even longer poem, use more lines in verse one. For example, if verse one has 6 lines, the poem must have seven stanzas so that each line of verse one is reused as a refrain in each following stanza (a cascading effect).

Example
I laugh hard at the poor butcher,
With scarlet hands and crimson eyes,
He smiles as he cuts away.

They gather around him everyday,
"unholy killer" they all scream.
I laugh hard at the poor butcher.

Deaf towards the plea of all,
the buther's fate was long written
with scarlet hands and crimson eyes.

Children cry amidst the crowd,
a mother faints, another screams.
He smiles as he cuts away.

Copyright © 2007 Udit Bhatia

B is for Blitz Poem

I couldn't find a good picture to represent the word "Blitz" without trivializing the WWII attack on London. So, I give you Ballroom Blitz before presenting my poem. I follow with an explanation and an example.

Ace of Lies

Ace up sleeve

Had me aced

Aced this test

Aced this ruse

Ruse of the heart

Ruse of goodwill

Goodwill to many

Goodwill on paper

Paper of pins

Paper of lies

Lies like a drug

Lies left me lonely

Lonely for love

Lonely for the impossible

Impossible dreams

Impossible schemes

Schemes to win you

Schemes to destroy you

You had my heart

You used me completely

Completely broken

Completely alone

Alone in my bed

Alone in my grave

Grave of my sorrow

Grave of betrayal

Betrayal of the heart

Betrayal of the soul

Soul yearns for love

Soul yearns for belonging

Belonging to another

Belonging in the world 

World of emptiness

World without end

End of all hope

End of my dreams

Dreams of you and me

Dreams of ecstasy

Ecstasy of body

Ecstasy of mind 

Mind lost in pain

Mind filled with hollow hope

Hope for tomorrow

Hope flown away

Away to yesterday

Away to a place that doesn't exist

Exist in my dreams

Exist in another time

Time

Dreams

~Blooming Psycho~

The Blitz Poem

The Blitz Poem is a poetry form created by Robert Keim.

This form of poetry is a stream of short phrases and images with repetition and rapid flow.

Begin with one short phrase, it can be a cliché. Begin the next line with another phrase that begins with the same first word as line 1. The first 48 lines should be short, but at least two words.

The third and fourth lines are phrases that begin with the last word of the 2nd phrase, the 5th and 6th lines begin with the last word of the 4th line, and so on, continuing, with each subsequent pair beginning with the last word of the line above them, which establishes a pattern of repetition.

Continue for 48 total lines with this pattern, And then the last two lines repeat the last word of line 48, then the last word of line 47.

The title must be only three words, with some sort of preposition or conjunction joining the first word from the third line to the first word from the 47th line, in that order.

There should be no punctuation. When reading a BLITZ, it is read very quickly, pausing only to breathe.

Example #1:
Bucket of Poetry

Kick the can
Kick the bucket
Bucket of chum
Bucket of worms
Worms in dirt
Worms in my brain
Brains in my head
Brains in my book
Book of lies
Book of secrets
Secrets in the chambers of the human heart
Secrets in the diary of my teenage sister
Sister of mercy
Sister in a habit
Habit of swearing
Habit of smoking
Smoking gun
Smoking outside
Outside of the box
Outside of what is normal
Normal people
Normal days
Days and nights
Days upon days
Days of storms
Days of no power
Power to the people
Power over people
People who need people
People on the streets
Streets of Philadelphia
Street sweeping
Sweeping under the rug
Sweeping her off her feet
Feet grinding your face
Feet sweating in old shoes
Shoes for the homeless
Shoes for rich women
Women who want
Women who need
Need a change of scenery
Need to stop
Stop needing
Stop reading
Reading poetry
Reading poetry
Poetry takes
Poetry gives
Gives…
Takes…

Copyright © 2008 Robert Keim

A L'Arora: An Infamous Life

Fickle Fame by Time Released Sound is the perfect musical accompaniment to the poem.

In my youth

I wanted to live

An admirable life

Where others envied

And wanted to be me

I would be one of the great ones

To my dismay

I've been one of the hated ones

People don't understand those like me

We live on the fringes

Scraping by

Many say its our own fault

If we could just behave correctly

We would be accepted

I guess I didn't know how to

So I've always been rejected

I guess I lack

The looks

The confidence

And the courage

To be one of the beautiful people

I suppose I wasn't thin enough

I've always had something, that's certain

But I guess it isn't the right stuff

As I enter the late afternoon of my life

I no longer crave adulation

I just wish I had enough to get by

I think the truth is I was lonely 

I wanted someone to love me

But it would have been hollow

The truth about fame, or lack thereof

Is a bitter pill to swallow

~Blooming Psycho~

A L'Arora The A L'Arora, a form created by Laura Lamarca, consists of 8-lined stanzas. The rhyme scheme for this form is a, b, c, d, e, f, g, f with no syllable count per line. The minimum length for the poem is 4 stanzas with no maximum length stipulation. The A L'Arora is named after Laura Lamarca as "La" is her signature. "Aurora" is Italian and means "dawn" - "Arora" is derived from this. This form is dedicated to Chad Edwards.

Example:

To Eternity

She had harboured her conscience
as saddened seas set sail
and a hail of happiness
harpooned her harmed heart;
yet the start of her story
cast its line long ago...

when blame built a boat
to float to and fro.

She had waded through waters
towards distant dreams,
as sky's streams shone strong
for promise to grow,
and tide told of legends,
of pirates and gold...

of adventures and romance
and treasures to behold.

Soft breeze blew her homewards
towards challenge and smile,
over miles of surrender--
befriending love's sighs.
Undercurrents urged notions
to traverse oceans...and land

as anchors raised rainbows
and sorrows turned to sand.

She harnessed the beauty
that greeted her ashore,
as core swelled with longing
to sing songs...and survive.
And she lived with pride's palms
for forever and a day...

past's anchor has long rusted--
eroded echoes...stripped away.

Copyright © 2009 Laura Lamarca

Satisfy

The post that this image was found in is worth the read.

Satisfy

I want to satisfy

The need in you

To need me

I want to satisfy

Your every need

So you always need

To come back for more

I want to satisfy

My love

~Blooming Psycho~

SATISFY  (transitive verb)
1a : to carry out the terms of (as a contract) : discharge
  b : to meet a financial obligation to
2: to make reparation to (an injured party) : indemnify
3a : to make happy : please  
 b : to gratify to the full : appease
4a : convince
  b : to put an end to (doubt or uncertainty) : dispel

5a : to conform to (as specifications) : be adequate to (an end in view)

Notes:

Trifecta is going away. This is a bummer. Even though Team Netherworld's writing never passed their muster, we still kind of like them and enjoyed the challenges.

The Psycho has no-one in her life to inspire the writing of such a poem as the one shared above. This poem is written by one of our favorite characters to his wife. He has a tendency to write sappy poetry to her. 

This is far less awkward than the awful poem that one of our other borrowed characters wrote with someone else's wife in mind. In fairness, it was actually an old poem that he wrote after he and this woman spent 666 years together in a hell consisting of nothing but kitchens with spray cheese and saltine crackers. Also, at the point when he wrote the poem, he hadn't yet met the lovely succubus who would become his wife. He used the poem to impress the Vogons, who had asked him to participate in a poetry reading aboard their flagship. He was suffering from writer's block and couldn't come up with any new material.

This blog will officially be participating in the April A-Z challenge. Stay tuned. We hope to avoid writing any awkward Vogon-appeasing poetry.

~Bloomy~