Poetry Anatomy
Steven Hammon
Poetry Anatomy
A collection from an Award Winning Poet, and the construction process explained.
By Steven Hammon
Copyright Steven Hammon 2003 – 2007
Introduction.
Hi. My intent for this book is to give a detailed description of a poet’s mind, and the processes that may be used to create your own poetry.
I have been writing poetry in the form of song lyrics since 1985. In 2003, I got serious and studied poetry intensely.
In that time, I have had poems chosen for publishing overseas, poetry publish locally, and I have won a cash prize competition where my poem was selected for a reading at an Australia Day service.
I will be explaining some of the problems I have had, structure, what I like about the poems, what I dislike, the formats, the techniques, the thought process, and comparisons between formats and styles.
This is a complete breakdown of the building blocks that make up the poems, as if I were a historian studying a poet from history. As a painter historian would study lines, contrast, colours, theme, subject, metaphors, and stroke texture, I will be doing the same to my poetry.
But beside that, you can skip all the jargon and just read the poems purely for you pristine pleasure. May you have a fantastic time.
The Book Structure
For the start of this book, I will be working with three subjects.
Achieving Dreams
The Joy of Love
Nature’s Beauty
In each subject, I have 10 different poem formats.
Ballad
Couplets
Limerick
Prose
Sonnet
Hiaku
Tanka
Alliteration
Cinquain
Acrostic
I will show the three subjects for each format, with a footnote explaining each poem. Then I will go onto the next format.
At the end of these subjects, I will have a collection of miscellaneous poems which I have written, and a footnote on each.
Contents:
Basic definitions:
Ballads:
The Planted Seed
The Soul Mate for the Soul
Universal Imagery
Couplets:
Imagination
Forever Love
Ocean Twilight
Limericks:
Realistic Dreams
Thing We Should Share
Nature is the Best
Prose:
Quest for Fulfilment
Blissful Loving Delight
Ultimate Bliss
Sonnets:
Dreams are the Future
It’s Captured My Heart
Mother of Nature
Haikus:
Dreams You Can See
Love is in the Air
Sun Flowers Ocean Cliffs
Tankas:
The Day of Birth Gift
Dreams for Love and Peace
Eagle’s Flight
Alliteration:
Awesome Aspiring
Another Ageless Angel
Absolutely Awesome
Cinquains:
Future
Loving Power
Living and Giving
Acrostics:
Destiny
Lovingly
Universal
Miscellaneous
A rose in time
Beauty Abounding
From Low to High
Futuristic Dreams
Life in a day
My value and worth
Programmed for Sadness
Slithering Snake
Sneaky Eyes
Springy
Stripping of the Stress
Teacher Tribute
The Darkness Within
The Day of Australia
The Japanese Life
Writing a Way to Get Through
Written Limits
A 13 Minute Poem for You
Basic Definitions:
Syllables: The segments of a word.
Syl–la–ble
Rhyme: Generally the same sounding word ending.
Day, Grey, Lay, Stay, Play, etc.
This is the best way to Rhyme but the most important is the long vowel sound.
Game, Gain, Stains, Blamed, etc.
Alliteration: Where a series of significant words all start with the same letter or sound. In this example, I focused more on the TR.
The Train Trundled Tediously on the Tracks.
Assonance: Is the same but with the vowel sounds anywhere in the word.
Vowel sounds pound out aloud.
Consonance: Same as alliteration but anywhere in the words.
Chains reach over ancient arched churches.
Stanza: A group of lines forming a verse. A ballad has 4 lines in each Stanza, a limerick has 5. A 4 line Stanza is called a Quatrain.
Metaphor: Something used to symbolise the desired meaning.
The tree of life grows up towards the grave like a blind vine.
Rhythm: Triplets: Like a Waltz beat. V ^ ^ V ^ ^ V
Po–et–try is–n’t so eas–y to do
V ^ ^ V ^ ^ V ^ ^ V
Modern beat. V ^ V ^ V ^ V
A po– et writes a word.
^ V ^ V ^ V
If you try to read the modern as a triplet rhythm, it feels awkward and unfinished.
A po– et writes a word.
^ V ^ ^ V ^
V ^ ^ V ^ ^
Accent: Accentuated syllable strengths. Sort of like musical beats where certain syllables need to be on the rhythm beats where others just won’t work.
“A” is usually weak accent. “ ^ ”
So is, “The” and “And”
Strong accents hit on the beat and usually are at the end. “ V ”
You will see this clearly as you read through these poems, and as you get more familiar with how poetry rolls off the tongue.
There is much more involved with the construction of poetry if you really want to get deep into the complex world of Feet and Patterns etc, but I am trying to keep it as simple as possible.
Contents
The Planted Seed
You’re pouring all your heart into the dreams for which you strive
You’re stubborn in the line you take and know where you will be
You’re setting out a path to walk that’s good for all your soul
And knowing that you have it in the future is the key
There are some people in the world who give up on the path
But others here will not give up and push on every day
A gifted seed is planted in the soul of fertile soil
And watered with the goodness so it grows the perfect way
The tests along the way will see if you deserve a pass
Or maybe go around again until you make it through
How far you get towards your goal depends upon your will
So be determined and persist, success is up to you
If you will follow in the path that’s laid out for your joy
Your gifts will flow and breeze along and you will be alright
Don’t try to force your life to go the way you’re told to go
Since running from your destiny will make you lose the fight
Footnote: The Ballad
The most common of all formats. The famous Banjo Paterson used this format extensively and with awesome effect. Although he didn’t always keep the syllables even, and sometimes the rhyme locations are lost, his incredible speciality was the story. His famous The Man From Snowy River was so good that it was adapted into a popular Australian film.
Generally, Ballad Syllables are between about 6
and 12 per line. Of course there are exceptions but having this amount stops it from seeming like a couplet if it’s too short, and feeling like it is meant to have couplet format, in order to rhyme like what people are used to in a ballad. The reason for this is due to the rhyme sequence.
This Quatrain (4 line Stanza) has a Rhyme pattern of Lines 2 and 4. Line 1 and 3 don’t have to rhyme and really shouldn’t for a ballad, but you have to love Poetic Justice. We can get away with anything. We are artists. (Does a snobby pose).
This is the first of the Achieving Dreams ballads and it’s designed to inspire you to do what you are designed to do. To constantly visualise the awesome things that make you happy and to follow the inspiring spontaneous thoughts that lead you to your destiny.
In order to get my syllable count right, I had to add “You’re” to the beginning of the first 3 lines which was really annoying due to the repeated word. The main thing is it got the meaning across and kept the modern rhythm smooth and common throughout the poem. This has 14 syllables so the lines are nearly too long. It works though. Notice lines 1 and 2 want to rhyme?
Contents
Soul Mate for the Soul
The reason for my life is love
where pain cannot compare.
Cause my life is a pointless waste
if I can never share.
Career or dreams or goals are lame
and worth the price for love.
To hold onto the completeness
brings heaven from above.
The touch that sets my heart on fire
makes me feel life reborn,
And in that sensual steamy state
the past is always gone.
To please the one I love for life
I’d give up all I own.
To make her feel the ecstasy
of love forever shown.
Footnote:
Here I nearly have the opposite problem of the last, where the lines are a little bit short. If I added line 2 onto then end of line one – making a long line – and the same with line 4 onto the end of line 3, then I would have a couplet (2 lines rhyming)
This is the Joy of Love ballad. I wrote this before I picked love as a theme but since it was along those lines, I decided to use it.
I am rather happy with this poem. Everything works in it well. There is a slight issue with:
Career or dreams or goals are lame
and worth the price for love.
Really the meaning here is better said in a different way but the poem restrictions left me with not much choice in the matter. The meaning is, “Everything about life is insignificant compared to love and if you are truly in love, then giving up your career to keep that love is something you would happily do in a second. If that’s the price to pay for true love, it’s still a good deal.”
Notice the alliteration here:
And in that sensual steamy state.
That was deliberate.
Most of the time, the words flow with extreme ease. I can start writing from a spontaneous inspirational thought of 1 word and nearly write the line as it comes to me. Sometimes I have trouble but then I just write 5 different lines and see which is best. Usually I pick easy words to rhyme before I start, and then think of lines that will end with that rhyme. I play with contractions (it is – it’s) and thesaurus words to get the syllable rhythm right.
Contents
Universal Imagery
Far from city life I see
How gorgeous night skies are
Twinkling stars seen crystal clear
The moon and shooting star
Nebula and galaxies
With clouds of red and green
Telescopic sight reveals
The sight’s I’ve never seen
Gas filled soup is lit up bright
Like sunsets burning red
Splashed with perfect painted life
Across the heavens spread
Universal imagery
Is captured by a man
Shared for all the world to see
For every single fan
Footnote:
Onwards to the Nature’s Beauty subject. This one focuses on the incredible beauty of the universe.
Again, this reads like a couplet. It uses the modern rhythm.
V ^ V ^ V ^ V
^ V ^ V ^ V
In poems, some words rhyme easier than others. My four choices here are simple and common words to rhyme with.
Are, Star, Far, Car, Tar, Jar, Bar, etc.
Notice there are many possibilities.
But take these for example.
Now, cow, bow, how.
These are a PAIN!!! The word now is fine, but rhyming with it is tricky. Unless you are writing a Cow poem, then the use of the word cow becomes next to impossible. Take the word how. This word almost never ends a sentence. If it does, it often sounds odd. It turns into a really weird way to say the line. It limits the use of that word to lines like:
I just don’t know how.
So that leaves bow. Another word which is rarely used unless it’s specific.
One of the biggest keys to poetry is knowing how to make it easy.
Contents
Imagination
Imagination wild seeking realistic goals
Setting out a path to walk that’s good for all our souls
Pouring all our hearts into the dreams for which we reach
Setting destinations through the obstacles we breach
Knowing that you have it in the future is the key
Taking all the steps to catch up with your destiny
Stubborn in the line you take and where you’ll be you know
Never letting doubt or fear to hinder where you go
Never taking short cuts instead always doing right
Learning perfect skills and keeping all your talents tight
Vigorous pursuit of things that activate your life
Free from giving into crap like pressure pain and strife.
Footnote: The Couplet
Here is the first of the couplets. Notice how it’s still about Achieving Dreams but I have worked it into a different poem. You will notice as I go along how some lines in some poems fit well into other poems of the same subject yet with a slight adjustment, it fits the new format.
Couplets have lines 1 and 2 rhyme, and then lines 3 and 4. I could have had each couplet separate but chose to join them.
Contents
Forever Love
Forever Love
Comes from above
Leading of two
given to you
It’s meant to be
Blissful and free
Joyous with peace
Thanks never cease
Treasured for life
Worth all the strife
Ultimate goal
Great for the soul
A perfect team
Your fulfilled dream
That’s when you see
Your destiny
Footnote:
The first of the triplets.
V ^ ^ V
The cool thing is that you can use a modern rhythm if you treat the first syllable as a weak accent.
^ V ^ V
I like the triplet rhythm better. It suits the poem more for me.
Every line here has the same rhythm and I am extremely happy with the flow. The line length is nice and short too.
Notice how in the line: “A perfect team” , the letter A is a strong accent in the triplet rhythm? The only reason is because we see the poem has the same rhythm through out the entire poem. If there were changes in the rhythm, it may be confused as a weak accent.
One thing I really love about this poem is the amazing amount of different aspects in the Love subject I have included, with the little amount of words I have used, and the meaning is clear and concise. This is rather difficult to do since also, every 1 of these short lines must rhyme. So not only do I have to have each line make sense, and have th
e same rhythm, I also have a limited amout of end words I can use. I did use very common rhyme combinations though.
Contents
Ocean Twilight
You will love the sight
Red and pink twilight
Something never seen
Gorgeous ocean sheen
Water mirror glows
Heaven’s fire shows
Sky’s alight with peace
Daylight will soon cease
Stage set for the day
Birds sing for the play
Flowers share their scent
Best time ever spent
Climax of the end
To the eye, a friend
Sunset glowing bright
Sun bids you goodnight
Footnote:
Here is a strong metaphor poem.
This is more a modern rhythm but it can have a triplet rhythm.
Modern: V ^ V ^ V
Triplet: ^ V ^ ^ V
The reason for this is because of the second syllables of the 1st two lines. Will is normally a weak accent as well as and.
Try reading them both ways and accent the lines.
YOU will LOVE the SIGHT!!
You WILL love the SIGHT!!
The second seems more like a demand and a threat that if you don’t, there will be consequences since will is accented.
The first strong metaphor is the mirror, being the glass like reflection in the water. The next is heaven’s fire meaning the sky looking like the clouds are huge fireballs. The next is a stage, like where you pay to go see people on a stage performing a play. Where nature is putting on a show for all the audience to enjoy. Then friend, meaning comforting and encouraging. Then Sun bids you goodnight, which is where you see the sunset leaving.
There is also a strong beginning, middle, and end here.
Contents
Realistic Dreams
My mind creates realistic dreams
My goals are like structural beams
I will not give in
And strive without sin
Life is much more than it seems
The future I have I can see
I’ll catch up with my destiny
The dream is alive
For it I will strive
I’ll grow into who I will be
I’ll perfect my gift and my skill
I’ll dedicate my life and will
I’ll learn everything
To be a blessing
Designed for this life giving thrill
And nothing will stand in my way
My morals will guide every day
I will do what’s right
And stand up and fight
And always stand by words I say
A journey on which I will grow
I’ll overcome my biggest foe
I will win this war
With my righteous core
Forever I’ll know where to go
Footnote: The Limerick
Here is the first of the limericks. These are usually starting like:
There once was a man from Kentucky
You may remember these from school.
They consist of 5 lines per stanza. Lines 1, 2, and 5 all rhyme with each other. Also, lines 3 and 4 rhyme as well. Generally, Lines 1, 2, and 5 have about 8 syllables. Lines 3 and 4 have about 5.
Normally they are triplet rhythm, starting on a weak accent before a strong accent.
^ V ^ ^ V ^ ^ V
^ V ^ ^ V ^ ^ V
^ V ^ ^ V
^ V ^ ^ V
^ V ^ ^ V ^ ^ V
I had some issues with some rhyme but it still works. Everything and Blessing. Usually all of the word rhymes, meaning both syllables, but I only rhymed the last syllable. These are sometimes tricky.
Contents
Thing We Should Share
Love is a thing we should share
It’s fully imbued strong with care
Love is the key
that unlocked poor me
It’s great when there’s love in the air
Footnote:
This would have been longer but it has a beginning middle and end it is nice as it is.
Notice the accents automatically flow?
V ^ ^ V ^ ^ V
^ V ^ ^ V ^ ^ V
V ^ ^ V
^ V ^ ^ V
^ V ^ ^ V ^ ^ V
You will also notice the last line where I used Love in the air, in at least one of my other poems up further. It’s taken from the common saying, Love is in the air, but it’s tweaked for the perfect last line.
Contents
Nature is the Best
Gardens are a blaze of coloured dreams
Plants that dazzle just like mountain streams
Butterflies abound
Birds sing sensual sounds
Standing in a heaven scene it seems
Rain forests will glisten in the mist
Bliss for and environmentalist
Water falls so free
Vision ecstasy
Better that the first time you were kissed
Sky beams down its warm and loving rays
Sunset’s perfect blessing, spring time days
Witnessing the glow
Joyous feelings grow
Nature painting pictures endless ways
Ocean’s clear, it’s turquoise, green and blue
Stunning colours cool, a calming view
Fluffy clouds are white
Dolphins play in sight
Nature is the best and that is true
Footnote:
Here I have explored various aspects of natures beauty. Where as before I talked of the universe as beautiful, then the sunset, here it’s the major aspects of Earth’s beauty.
Flora and fauna, rainforest environments in the mountains, the sunsets in spring, and the ocean scape.
Here I use a modern rhythm.
V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V
V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V
V ^ V ^ V
V ^ V ^ V
V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V
I also use an uncommon word to rhyme, Mist.
Notice how I also hardly ever use the same rhyme twice in a poem. I tend to avoid repeating the use of a rhyme in separate stanzas. Sometimes I write a stanza and then see that it rhymes with the previous stanza. Suddenly I have to separate the stanza or rearrange the stanza order in order to split the overly used rhyme.
Although this is not something you have to do, it’s just something I like to do. I like to give myself a challenge as you may have already realised. What can I say? I’m a perfectionist.
Contents
Quest for Fulfilment
I pour out my heart and soul into the quest for fulfilment.
Destiny.
Goal of the soul.
Predestined perfection pushing prominently, paving paths.
Staying straight,
Playing straining games daily,
Fraying tainted hatred.
A great state.
Fate.
Thrusting forwards like a freight train to a train convention,
Unstoppable hulk like momentum storming,
Destroying walls of spiritual torture.
Successful day after day,
Overcoming obstacles,
Calming storms,
Casting mountains into the sea with the gifts of ability to catch up with a future that already exists.
Soul over substance.
Will over worry.
Pressing on.
Determination.
I will reach my goal.
Footnote: The Prose
For a long time, I hated prose. I thought it was slack that people would just write words without having some sort of rhyme to make it valid of the name “Poetry” . How wrong I was. I now love this form of poetry BUT, it needs to be done well.
I start with summing it up in a sentence, then a word, then I have the first and last word rhyme. Alliteration to the max in the next sentence. Next is assona
nce of sharp choppy lines.
Metaphor heaven follows in a fluid like flow. I have personified metaphors. A train has a personality rushing like a star trek fan to a star trek convention, but the train is a metaphor for my destiny and my attitude to fulfilling that destiny.
After a line setting the mood for the stanza, I have an alliteration, then metaphors leading into a uniquely worded message. I reworded mind over matter, then I used the same alliteration sentence construction to express it as an attitude. Then a couplet rhyme followed by a sentence to sum up the essence of the poem.
It’s not just lacking the ability to rhyme. It’s art.
Contents
Blissful Loving Delight
Inside and hugging, still not close enough
Desire for two to be one
Soul, Mind, Body
Forever
The world ceases to exist
The beauty of a perfect rose bathed in morning dew and spring sunlight
The comfort a child feels in the mother’s womb
Skin on skin
Lips on lips
Heart on heart
Hips on hips
Tender
Soft
Subtle
Succulent
Desire overwhelming
Commitment never ending
The life
Complete
The core
Burning in an insatiable appetite for more
Footnote:
Oddly, my prose seems to be about the same length each time. I think it’s the perfect length. Not too long, not to short. You will know when a poem wants to finish since it will sum itself up, or it will drag on a little too much and start feeling like it should finish.
Much of poetry is getting in tune with those intuitive feelings and letting the inspiration flow through you. It’s that still small voice leading you in the positive direction and the more you listen and follow, the easier it becomes.
This is steamy. The first line is saying that sex still isn’t enough oneness with your partner. It’s how much you crave each other to be connected into the most intimate way, yet it’s impossible.
An aspect of love followed by a metaphor of how beautiful and rare it can be, then another metaphor to explain the peace.
Sharp chunky lines of alliteration in a rhyming quatrain followed by 4 punchy words, 3 of which are alliteration. A 7 syllable couplet followed by 3 lines of 2 syllables each, in which the last forms a part of a couplet with the last line. (Grunts of approval like Tim the tool man Taylor).
Contents
Ultimate Bliss
The beauty before me bewilders my brain
How can this be?
Too great to be real
I am so small
My eyes are spoiled for life
Displayed is a painting of a red and pink fire
The sun is burning the sky
Water reflects the flaming light
Thrusting heaven at me
Frame forms
A flock flies
Fish frolic forming ripples and splash rings of fire
What more could I ask for?
It’s ultimate bliss
The image is bottled of others to smell,
To suck up the essence I catch
The sublime sunset stored
It’s captured and condensed in the core of my camera card
Footnote:
I think this one is cute in that it’s not really powerful in a profound meaningful way. It’s more of a playful attitude. Often, the writer’s attitude will come through in a way in which something is written. Maybe you have notices my core element. Inspiring people, and helping them focus on the positive aspects of life.
In this poem, I start with a normal alliteration. But not my idea of alliteration where I complicate things with making EVERY word start with the same letter. Then the question.
The question links to the rewording of the common saying, too good to be true. Then a metaphor expression of how it makes me feel, and how all other previously beautiful things become lesser in comparison.
Next is a strong double metaphor with colours I have used in a previous poem. The metaphor of the sky burning was used before too. Like the mirror metaphor visual from a previous poem, here is the same visual but worded in a different way with flaming light being the metaphor. Then a personification of nature doing something, thrusting a heavenly feeling and scene at me as if I am the centre of the universe.
Alliteration metaphors followed by a visual ending in the title of a Johnny Cash song as a metaphor, Ring of Fire. Now a combination of metaphors as a camera bottling the picture so that others can look at it, taking the image into your brain as one would suck in the smoke or scent of a flower. Then I explain what I am talking about with alliteration.
Contents
Dreams are the Future
Dreams are the future that we want to see
Goals and desires poured forth from the heart
Nothing in life can tear your goal apart
Now is the time for your future to start
Chances are knocking so open the door
Blessings abundant for your destiny
Sitting there waiting for eternity
Rise now and get them with joy and with glee
You are a ruler, a star through and through
Out of the soul all your spirit will pour
Within the soul is a power house store
Pursuing dreams is a life not a chore
If you will walk on the path that is true
You will succeed in the things that you do
Footnote: The Sonnet
This is often seen as the purist poetry. It’s like the ultimate in poetry expression and rather rare. If you really want to get into the full on knowledge of poetry, meter, patterns, feet, etc, then this is where you can fully express all of those skills and techniques in an amazing way. This is stepping into Shakespeare territory.
The basic construction is 14 lines. The first 8 lines are called the Octave which is the setting up of the poem’s topic, and then the Sestet which is usually the conclusion solution resolution of the poem. Sometimes they can seem like totally separate sections. The split in my poems isn’t that strong though.
Sonnets are made up by a rhyme sequence. Line 1 ends with the first rhyme, noted by the letter A. The second word to rhyme is noted by the letter B. And so on. Here is my rhyme sequence.
A B B B C A A A D C C C E E
You can make up your own or study the famous structures.
I don’t like a choppy rhythm, where they switch between the rhythm segments (feet) and create their combination (meter). I like the perfect flow like the equilateral triangle has perfect structure. For me, it makes it easier to read and more of a musical repetition which the brain can easily follow.
I start with a summary of the poem. Introduction of what dreams are, how strong they should be, and bringing it to the present. I then give and idea of how your destiny is waiting for you to grab it. That is the Octave. My Sestet is saying you have the power and control to make your future come true, and you can do it.
Contents
It’s Captured My Heart
It’s captured my heart but I love how I’m free
With this I will always break through
The joy that I feel is so far from blue
The peace that I feel is great too
A sensual touch sends my spirits to fly
There’s nowhere I would rather be
I release the ties of restraint within me
This mutual bond is the key
It’s something so rare that I’ll never let go
I let out a blissful spawned sigh
To save my true partner I’m willing to die
The image of art for my eye
In all there is one thing I know
I’ll always let happiness flow
Footnote:
Notice I have used the same rhyme pattern.
I start with and explanation of the status. I tend to like this way of beginning since it sets the scene for which the rest follows. It gives the reader and idea of the poem in general. Personally I believe a
