Book Poetry

Poetry Patterns

Form types (selection guide):

• Sonnet: 14 lines, iambic pentameter, Petrarchan (ABBAABBA CDECDE) or Shakespearean (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG)
• Haiku: 5-7-5 syllables, seasonal reference (kigo), cutting word (kireji)
• Free verse: No fixed meter/rhyme, natural speech rhythm, enjambment as tool
• Villanelle: 19 lines, 2 refrains, ABA tercets + ABAA quatrain
• Ghazal: 5-15 couplets, radif (refrain), matla (opening couplet both lines rhyme)
• Prose poem: Prose paragraph with poetic density, no line breaks

Stanza as unit: Stanza = one breath, one image, one turn. White space between stanzas = pause (comparable to scene break in fiction). Couplets (2 lines), tercets (3), quatrains (4), sestets (6), octave (8).

Meter and rhythm: Iambic (da-DUM), trochaic (DUM-da), dactylic (DUM-da-da), anapestic (da-da-DUM). Meter creates mood: iambic = steady/contemplative, trochaic = urgent/chanted, dactylic = flowing/lyrical. Free verse: stress patterns still matter — read aloud to test.

Imagery systems: Core image per poem. Sensory hierarchy: visual > tactile > auditory > olfactory > gustatory. Extended metaphor (conceit): one metaphor sustained across entire poem. Image cluster: related images building a field of meaning.

Line breaks: Enjambment (thought continues across line) creates tension/speed. End-stopped (thought completes at line) creates pause/emphasis. Line = unit of attention. Short lines = intensity, long lines = expansiveness.

Collection architecture: Thematic arc (opening poem sets tone, center = core statement, closing = resolution/echo). Section breaks as movement shifts. Sequences (series of linked poems). Organizing principles: chronological, thematic, formal, conversational. Target: 40-80 poems for full collection.

Revision checklist: Sound (read aloud — where does rhythm break?), compression (can any word/line be cut?), specificity (concrete over abstract), surprise (does each stanza add something unexpected?), integrity (does form serve content?).

Title as threshold: Title + first line = entry contract. Title can: set scene, provide context, contradict the poem, name the form, name the subject.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: epicsagas
• Source: epicsagas/Velith
• License: Apache-2.0

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.