Saturday 23 August 2014

New Form: Parabolem

The Parabolem

 An attempt to merge the precision and symmetry of mathematics with the creative expression of poetry.

Stanzas and Lines
- 5 stanzas of varying length:
       1st 9 lines
       2nd 4 lines
       3rd 1 line
       4th 4 lines
       5th 9 lines.
- Poem is either title-less or uses the 3rd stanza as its title.

Rhyme and Meter
- 1st and 5th stanzas are terza rima, each with three unique line endings.
 2nd and 4th stanzas are quatrains formed of two rhyming couplets.
 Line length should be consistent throughout the poem, with a minimum of 6 syllables/beats per line.
- Rhyme Scheme: ABA.BCB.CAC  DE.DE  F  GH.GH  IJI.JKJ.KIK

Theme
 The 3rd stanza is the central idea of the poem. It can be a word, phrase, or sentence and is the one exception to the line length rule.
 To reflect the mathematical nature of this poem the two stanzas on either side of the center are thematic opposites. For example: pessimistic/optimistic, past/future, natural/supernatural, etc.
- The purpose is up to the poet. One can choose to describe, react, praise, etc. as long as the previous thematic rules are kept.
- Thematic examples:   
BEFORE                NEGATIVE
BEFORE                NEGATIVE
EVENT                   ISSUE
AFTER                   POSITIVE
AFTER                   POSITIVE

Created by Tyler Letkeman on August 23rd 2014.

1 comment:

  1. Expert level variation: make the poem halves thematically and rhythmically opposite. ABABCBCAC DEDE F EDED CACBCBABA

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