Author, Tess Somerwell, earlier this month, wrote in an article for Psyche Magazine-  ''Long poems might actually be the perfect form for the present: they can represent the sheer unmanageable scale, the vast and messy confusion, the epic ambivalence, of these times.' John Keats, viewed  a long poem as a space to wander. He felt it was a space you could return to in your memory, or in a rereading. He believed a long poem allowed the reader to dip in and select sections they wished to ponder, at their leisure. I believe Keats was right. I have often found myself doing this exact thing when reading a long poem. Well, the poem I am sharing with you is 'longish.' It certainly qualifies as an example of Rant Poetry. It became a poem that refused to be denied. It banged around in my head for quite some time demanding to be let out.  Rant poetry can be a release, a relief. It also represents the release of a pressure valve in many ways. Another way of describing these poem...

Please allow me to share with you the Quintilla, a Spanish poetic form that employs five-line stanzas.Here is all you need to know in order to jump in and write your very own Quintilla! Each stanza has five lines Each line has eight syllables. They're 'octosyllabic.' An ab rhyme scheme in which at least two lines use the "a" rhyme and at least two lines use the "b" rhyme... Please note, the stanza cannot end with a rhyming couplet. There are several possible rhyme pattern variations one can use: abaab ababa abbab aabab aabba The inspiration for my Quintilla came from watching three year old, Isabel dance with spirited joy to the music of 'Frozen' one day this week. The dance recital reinforced how curious learners absorb so much from the world around them. Such dramatic action, such considered poses... When Isab el Dances The dancer moving joyfully Adorned in a long trailing cape The choreography so free And once again, beguiling me Small arms as...

Last week I shared a Gogyohka Poem titled 'Old Snaps.' It sparked reader interest and prompted me to further explore the notion of old photographs and the poetry connection they often evoke. I  recalled a poem from one of my poetry heroes, Michael Rosen. The poem is titled, ' Going Through The Old Photos ' and is contained in Michael's famous anthology of narrative verse, ' Quick Let's Get Out of Here .'  I actually own two copies of this book, just in case I misplace one.  Here is Michael Rosen reading his poem.  U.K songwriter, activist and poet, Billy Bragg recently published a song- ' Ten Mysterious Photos That Can't Be Explained .' The song prompted me to look through my photo collection and dig out some of my mysterious photos. It wasn't too hard.  Here are a few of my mysterious photos that can't be explained. They most certainly provoke speculation and lend themselves to the assignment of suitable words...   This photograph of...

What is gogyohka? I hear you ask It's a five-line poem developed by Enta Kusakabe in Japan. Gog-yoh-ka translates to "five-line poem."  It's a close relative of tanka and uses natural phrasing to great effect. The gogyohka has very simple rules: The poem comprises, five lines with one phrase per line. That's all there is to it. What does a phrase mean in a gogyohka? Defining a gogyohka phrase is in the eye of the beholder. but the phrases can be as short as one word and others more than five words. So the rules are fairly loose. It's meant to be concise (five lines) but free (variable line length with each phrase). No special themes or topics. No subject matter constraints. Just five lines of poetic fun. I urge my fellow poets to give Gogyohka a go! Here's my attempt at Gogyohka Poems: Storm Water Runoff After the storm run off spills into the bay swimming is not recommended for seven long,  days. Alan j Wright Old Snaps At first glance Those old photograp...