Introduction to some poetry structures

The first structure I’d like to introduce to you is
Structure 1 – The Limerick
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Irish soldiers on returning from war to their home town of Limerick began reciting a line of poetry to kill the time. One by one each soldier added a line to the verse which they affectionately called The Limerick. Edward Lear introduced the Limerick to English Poetry .
The basic rule is that lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme, while lines 3 and 4 rhyme
Example Old Man With a Beard -Edward Lear
There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, 'It is just as I feared .
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!'
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My Example
Great Expectations – By Paul McCann
Well now there once was a young boy called Pip, who by chance had the misfortune to slip,
right into some bad social relations,
until he acquired great expectations
and ended up with a stiff upper lip.
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Structure 2- Alphabet In Sequence

This a poem where each consecutive word begins with each consecutive letter of the alphabet from A to Z .

My Example –
Spaced Out - By Paul McCann
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Alien Bands Came Down Earthlings . Funny Green Headed Iggy-poppers Just Killed Lyrics . Many Nations Of People Quickly Required Songs Teaching Unbelievable Vocals With X-Men Yelling Zip-idee-doo-da .

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Structure 3 Acrostic
This is a structure where the first letter of each line of the poem make a word and can be constructed as the title or theme of the poem .

My Example -
Father God - By Paul McCann
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Find time each day to share.
All your thoughts to him there.
Talk to the Lord in prayer .
He is there and he cares .
Each day he surrenders.
Responding to our prayers .
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Great is the love he bears .
One love beyond compare.
Dwelling within us there .

Structure 4 - The Kyrielle
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The Kyrielle is a poem with 4 verses each verse has with line sections and the last line of each verse repeats.There should be 16 lines in the poem and the metre of each line is of eight syllables.
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My Example -
Love Of My Life – By Paul McCann
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If I ever forget to say ,
how I feel about you today,
remember when I said I do .
I have never stopped loving you .
When every thing seems too much,
Close your eyes and think of the touch, Of our first kiss and say its true .I have never stopped loving you .

I want you to know its all right ,
when I hold you and squeeze you tight
and surrender my heart to you .
I have never stopped loving you .
In honesty so unprepared,
We have lived together and shared .
Short is this life we're passing through. I have never stopped loving you .


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Structure 5 – The Sappic
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This Sappic is composed of four lines. The first three lines has 11 syllables and each line has two trochees , a two syllable word followed by a dactyl , a three syllable word ., The last line of the poem has only five syllables that conclude with a trochee followed by a dactyl .

My Example -
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Feeling Peace -By Paul McCann
Relax, composed , unperplexed , floating easy . .
Simply feeling harmony within agree ..
Tuning into energies within healing
Peaceful feeling .
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Thank you for taking time out to join me with this presentation of more common structures in poetry . I have a number of other structures I would like to introduce you to .
Please visit again .

Link to my you tube podcast
By Paul McCann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrRwbCCU-b0
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