#1 (couplets)

I was interested in learning more about the variety of couplets that exist. Our stanza packet really only discussed the heroic couplet. I decided to pick the couplet as the form to study more because it seemed like a basic form that could be appended to others. As such, knowledge of this form is perhaps the most crucial. Below is more detail on some varieties of couplets, and all credit is due to this website: http://www.uni.edu/~gotera/CraftOfPoetry/couplet.html Note that the meter is really the distinguishing factor between the couplet types, and that they are used for various purposes.


Short Couplet- iambic or trochaic tetrameter. From Maxine Kumin's "Morning Swim"

Into my empty head there come
a cotton beach, a dock wherefrom

I set out, oily and nude
through mist in oily solitude.

Split Couplet- the first line in iambic pentameter, the second in iambic dimeter. From Richard Steere's "On a Sea-Storm Nigh the Coast"

The weighty seas are rowled from the deeps
In mighty heaps,
And from the rocks' foundations do arise
To kiss the skies.

Heroic Couplet- two lines of iambic pentameter, also the last two lines of the English sonnet. From Richard Steere's "On a Sea-Storm Nigh the Coast"

Wave after wave in hills each other crowds,
As if the deeps resolved to storm the clouds.

Alexandrine Couplet- an alexandrine is a line of iambic hexameter, so an alexandrine couplet is two rhymed lines of such. These often come at the end of stanzas or poems and, in these cases, are also called codas.

Qasida- an Arabic form consisting of any number of lines all rhyming on the same rhyme.

#2 (states)

States

Salt smells seep through my clothes,
as my memory goes to the beach.

Fresh air fills my nose,
as my mind goes to the old farm,
where land stretches as far as eyes see.

Hearts and eyes are hurting
as my feet pound the city streets,
where needles and switchblades litter
every walkway, life, and home.

The train blares my senses,
as my penny smushes,
and I remember the swingset
my father built on his own,
standing still at my childhood home.

Just four states make my memory.


This poem initially sought to answer the question of "What would it be like if you had to move to a new state every year?" However, when I set out to write it, I could only draw upon my own experiences. Thus, the states (per stanza) are Florida, Ohio, Georgia, and Tennessee. These are every state that I have lived in. I think it is very interesting how I wrote about states, especially since I concentrated only on my own lived memories, which is usually the case for amateur poets. I also unintenionally added a line to each stanza. After I noticed the pattern, I simply continued it throughout the poem, attempting to add a visually pleasing element, with the addition of the conclusive last line.

#1 (my favorite stanza)

Picking a stanza to identify as my favorite isn't an easy task. This is not because I hate all stanza structure, but rather because stanza structures vary so much, depending on the unique nature of the poem. It is important to remember that, no matter what stanza structure is my favorite, a stanza structure is imposed after a poem is written, not before. This being said, I have noticed that my favorite stanza structure is a quatrain. I think it is largely because there are so many rhyme schemes that can be buried within it. These varying rhyme schemes allow for great potential that my poems can be formed into. Also, the quatrain tends to look most physically pleasing on the page, especially in the classical sense of a structured poem. The quatrain allows for numerous expansions and a beautiful structure for poetry.