Types of Poems to Explore Part Two

Another Five Poems To Sink Your Teeth Into

In a previous article, I provided five types of poems you can try out in a way to promote poetry and encourage people to try their own. I have always been a fan of short and simple explanations, and that will never change.

Here are five more types of poems you should try to, like last time, please post the link to your poem in the comment sections! It would be amazing to read them and discuss them!

1. Acrostic

Acrostic poems are simple. You vertically spell out a word or name and use the first letter to start a sentence about said word or person. They are popular in schools!

2. Ekphrastic

Ekphrastic poems are poems connected to a visual image. They have no structure but work as a bridge between poetry and physical art. A good example is Self-Portrait with Sylvia Plath’s Braid by Diane Seuss.

3. Haiku

I personally love Haiku and think they are more challenging than people realise. It consists of three lines. The first contains 5 syllables, the second contains 7 and the third contains five again. The challenge of expressing something meaningful and passionate in such a short format makes them fun and interesting.

4. Ballad

A ballad focuses on storytelling, whether it is in a musical or poetic format. They tend to consist of rhymed quatrains which use ABAB or ABCB.

5. Lyric Poetry

Lyric poems focus on one’s feelings with a songlike quality. They do not need to follow any structure but they do not tell stories like other stories. Because I Could Not Stop Death by Emily Dickinson is a good example.

For more poetry guidance, have a look back at the following articles;