Long ago defiance ruled,
I shook my head and sighed,
why did people listen not
and wag their tongues with lies.
Chances rolled down hills,
no takers snatched them up,
instead offenders turned away
with foolish fists corrupt.
Winds blew them hither and yon,
a lesson to be taught,
years it took to do what’s right
then seek the promise sought.
Tag: Poetry
Poetic Devices
Below is a table of various poetic devices and their meanings. Over the past year I’ve done articles on individual ones, but here are I am putting them all together in one post. These are just some of them.
| Poetic Devices | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Assonance | Rhyming of the same vowel sounds | Leaves blew in the breeze |
| Alliteration | The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. | Sweet singing doves |
| Metaphor | This is where an object in, or the subject of, a poem is described as being the same as another otherwise unrelated object. | The sand is a warm blanket |
| Simile | A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind. It’s used to make a description more vivid. | As fast as a cheetah. |
| Personification | Giving an inanimate object human characteristics. | The moon smiled back. |
| Imagery | Used in poetry, novels, or other writing that uses vivid description that appeals to the readers’ senses. This creates an image or idea in their head. | The leaves sounded like clapping hands. |
| Allusion | An expression intended to call something to mind without mentioning it specifically. It’s a hint towards something. | Chocolate is his kryptonite. Superman is alluded to but not mentioned. |
| Hyperbole | Exaggerated statements or not meant to be taken literally | I am so hungry I could eat a whole side of beef. |
| Allegory | A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, like a moral or political moral. | Animal Farm by George Orwell is an example of an allegory. |
| Consonance | The repetition of consonant sounds within a line of text. | The boss had a loss. Molly remained jolly. |
| Repetition | The act of repeating something that has already been said. Used to create effect. | Time after time. Over and over. |
| Enjambment | The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next. | Birds fly above a dew covered grassy meadow. |
| Meter | In poetry, meter is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse | iambic pentameter trochaic foot anapestic foot (More on these in another post) |
Malice by L. M. Montes
Hardness hails the deepest creases
of tainted thoughts and goodness taken,
breaks the inside then snaps to pieces
the person meant to be forsaken.
Hurt abounds from one’s behavior
as meanness hurls from they to thee,
until karma returns the nasty favor,
blind to all and will not see.
Types of Poems
Here are a few types of poems I thought you might be interested in. There are more, but I went with some common types that people enjoy writing more often. They range in difficulty. For more information about each, you can go to www.Google.com
| Type | Definition | # of Lines | # Syllables Per line | Rhyme Scheme |
| Haiku | An ancient form of Japanese poetry. Small in size | 3 lines | line one has 5 line two has 7 line three has 5 | none |
| Limerick | Are funny and sometimes rude. They have a set rhyme. The subject is a short, pithy tale or description | 5 lines | none | AABBA |
| Sonnet | A poem expressing a single, complete thought, idea or sentiment. There are two types: Petrarchan and Shakespearean | 14 lines | 10 (Iambic Pentameter) | Petrarchan Sonnet: ABBA, ABBA, CDECDE Shakespearean Sonnet: ABAB, CDCE, EFEF, GG |
| Free Verse | A popular style of modern poetry. It has a great amount of freedom when it comes to number of lines, cadence, and rhyme (if any) | varies | varies | varies |
| Villanelle | A short poem of fixed form, written in tercets, usually five in number followed by a quatrain. | 19 lines | varies | ABA for the first 5 tercets. Line 1 from the first tercet gets repeated in line 3 of tercets 2 and 4. Line 3 from tercet 1 gets repeated in line 3 of tercets 3 and 5. In the stanza 6 (the quatrain at the end), lines 3 and 4 are lines 1 and 3 from the first tercet in order). |
| Blank Verse | Poetry written with a precise meter, often in iambic pentameter but doesn’t rhyme. | varies | 10 (Iambic pentameter) | none |
| Sestina | A poem of six six-line stanzas and a three-line envoy, originally without rhyme, in which each stanza repeats the end words of the lines of the first stanza, but in a different order, the envoy using the six words again, three in the middle of the lines and three at the end. | 39 lines | Iambic pentameter is optional. Otherwise there is none. | Line 1: ABCDEF Line 2: FAEBDC Line 3: CFDABE Line 4: ECBFAD Line 5: DEACFB Line 6: BDFECA |
| Tanka | A Japanese poem that means “short poem” | 5 lines | lines 1 and 3 have 5 syllables. All other lines have 7 syllables. | none |
Villanelle IV by L. M. Montes
Hindsight gives agonizing birth to regret,
all the while walking forward getting hit,
so turn around, live life, and don’t forget.
Blunders born from stupid in a net,
ensnared one’s being then reality bit,
when hindsight gave agonizing birth to regret.
Mistakes equal life’s learning one must get,
but not when thought’s not given nor learning lit,
so turn around, live life, and don’t forget.
Talking kicks up dirt when as an outlet,
but ends up hurting innocents with grit,
as hindsight gave agonizing birth to regret,
Wicked words like daggers thrown with threat,
ricochets when dark minds do not submit,
so turn around, live life, and don’t forget.
Throw a radiant smile so to offset,
the evil undertow that won’t transmit,
hindsight giving agonizing birth to regret,
so turn around, life life, and don’t forget.
Villanelle III by L. M. Montes
Waves whisper a cadence soft and free,
gliding forward, lingering, rolling back,
as sun beams dim and fold beneath the sea.
Seagulls swoop white wings so feathery,
dipping downward, soaring, as black
waves whisper a cadence soft and free.
Shadowed palm trees sway in the breeze,
bowing down, billowing, and whack
as sun beams dim and fold beneath the sea.
On horizon’s bed a ship sails carefree,
buoyantly bouncing, gliding, as off-track
waves whisper a cadence soft and free.
Gray cloudy wisps stretch in mystery,
languidly looming, searching, but lack
as sun beams dim and fold beneath the sea.
A gate clinked open amidst a rocky lee,
beauteously inviting, summoning, while black waves whisper a cadence soft and free
as sun beams dim and fold beneath the sea.
Indecision by L. M. Montes
Later lies what one must do,
when after thought has started,
situations sit and fester thus,
until we plan our action.
To My Daughter by L. M. Montes
The blocks rumbled and tumbled down,
crumbling further till pebbles abound,
half of me shut the door to life,
when you stabbed me with your knife.
I understand life’s little worries,
when you think you’re in a flurry,
right now a storm has bitten your soul,
but it will pass, then you’ll be whole.
I took part in your unrest,
without a thought of future’s test,
behind we look and stagger forward,
but gaining ground does not look backward.
I wish you well my little one,
for in God’s hands all is won,
He has your heart and soul I pray,
that back to us you’ll be some day.
Nature Speaks by L. M. Montes
Bells chime from afar,
the melody floats,
sitting upon clouds
embarking on a
journey, waving as
they saunter by me.
A cricket plays its
violin so sweet
as sun’s beams sink low,
waving goodbye until
tomorrow, yawning
as Mr. Moon glows.
Seagulls bob and weave,
waves stretch smooth fingers
along wet sand to kiss
my toes in loving
kindness, linger
for a bit then go.
Petals by L. M. Montes
Dainty petals arch as wind pokes
touches of love breezing by,
scent bursts forth in laughter
enlightening sweetness upon
the senses erupting in the soul.
WRITE TIME AND AGAIN 