MCC Libraries: Monthly Displays: Poetry Month

Button Poetry - Playlists

Youth Speaks Playlists

A typical ballad is a plot-driven song, with one or more characters hurriedly unfurling events leading to a dramatic conclusion. Often, a ballad does not tell the reader what's happening, but rather shows the reader what's happening, describing each crucial moment in the trail of events

Blank verse refers to poetry that does not rhyme but follows a regular meter, most commonly iambic pentameter

An elegy is a poem that reflects on a subject or person through sorrow or melancholy. Elegies are typically poems about someone who has died

An epic poem is a long, narrative poem that is usually about heroic deeds and events that are significant to the culture of the poet

Free verse is an open form, which means it has no predetermined structure and no prescribed length.

A traditional Japanese Haiku a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often focusing on images from nature, haiku emphasizes simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression

Composed of five lines or five-line stanzas, the limerick adheres to a strict rhyme scheme and bouncy rhythm, making it easy to memorize. The limerick is often comical, nonsensical, and sometimes even lewd form popular in children's literature

Lyric poetry refers to a short poem, often with songlike qualities, that expresses the speaker’s personal emotions and feelings. Historically intended to be sung and accompany musical instrumentation

Narrative poetry tells stories through verse. Like a novel or a short story, a narrative poem has plot, characters, and setting

An ode is a formal lyric poem that is written in celebration or dedication. They are generally directed with specific intent.

Pastoral poetry is a genre or mode of poetry that refers to works that idealize country life and the landscape they take place in

A soliloquy is a monologue in which a character in a play expresses thoughts and feelings while being alone on stage. Soliloquies allow dramatists to communicate information about a character's state of mind, hopes, and intentions directly to an audience

Literally a “little song,” the sonnet is a poetic form that has fourteen lines and traditionally reflects upon a single sentiment, with a clarification or “turn” of thought in its concluding lines

A villanelle is a nineteen-line poem that is divided into five tercets or sets of three lines, and one concluding quatrain, or set of four lines