Forms for Poetic Reflection

A haiku poem is a "picture poem" that doesn't rhyme, and it has three lines with 17 beats:

• Line 1 has 5 beats
• Line 2 has 7 beats
• Line 3 has 5 beats

Sample:

Lake Michigan Dunes

by Kathy Veenstra

Huge, rolling sand dunes

Formed by glaciers on the move

Held in place by grass.

Forms for Poetic Reflection

A cinquain is a five-line poem that does not rhyme and is set up like this:

• Line 1 is a single word (usually a noun)
• Line 2 has two words (usually 2 adjectives)
• Line 3 has three words (usually verbs ending in -ing)
• Line 4 has a descriptive 4-word phrase
• Line 5 is a single word (usually a synonym for the first word or repeats it)

Sample:

A Type of Grass

by Alex Huntoon

Grass

Green, brown

Swaying, growing, poking

Helps keep dune sand

Dune Grass

Up and Down the Dunes

by Ryan Kantola

Dunes

Sandy, warm

Sitting, growing, collapsing

Made by different rocks

Sandy hills