Haiku
- A Japanese poem consisting of three lines with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5.
- Often focuses on nature, seasons, or a single moment.
- Example:
  An old silent pond,
  A frog jumps into the pond—
  Splash! Silence again.
Sonnet
- A 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter.
- Two main types:
  - Shakespearean (English): Three quatrains (4 lines each) followed by a rhyming couplet, with a rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
  - Petrarchan (Italian): An octave (8 lines) with rhyme ABBAABBA and a sestet (6 lines) with various rhyme schemes, often CDECDE.
Free Verse
- Poetry without a specific rhyme scheme, rhythm, or structure.
- Focuses on natural speech patterns and expressive imagery.
Limerick
- A humorous five-line poem with a distinct AABBA rhyme scheme.
- The first, second, and fifth lines are longer (8-9 syllables), while the third and fourth are shorter (5-6 syllables).
- Example:
  There once was a man from Peru
  Who dreamt he was eating his shoe.
  He awoke with a fright
  In the middle of the night
  To find that his dream had come true!
Villanelle
- A 19-line poem with five tercets (3-line stanzas) followed by a quatrain (4-line stanza).
- Includes two refrains and a strict rhyme scheme of ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA.
- Example: Dylan Thomas’s Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.
Ballad
- A narrative poem often set to music.
- Written in quatrains with alternating lines of iambic tetrameter (8 syllables) and iambic trimeter (6 syllables), using a rhyme scheme of ABCB.
- Focuses on storytelling with themes of love, tragedy, or adventure.
Acrostic
- The first letters of each line spell out a word or phrase when read vertically.
- Example:
  Simple but profound,
  Always inspiring,
  Meaningful lines
  Embedded in art.
Epic
- A long narrative poem detailing heroic deeds, gods, and mythological themes.
- Often written in a formal style and structured in multiple cantos or books.
- Example: Homer’s The Odyssey.
Elegy
- A mournful or reflective poem that laments someone’s death or loss.
- Traditionally written in elegiac couplets but now varies in form.
Ode

A formal and often ceremonious poem that praises a person, event, or thing.
Usually follows a structured stanza format like the Pindaric, Horatian, or Irregular Ode.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter.
Frequently used in English dramatic and narrative poetry.
Example: Shakespeare’s plays and Milton’s Paradise Lost.

Tanka

A Japanese poem consisting of five lines with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5-7-7.
Often reflective, focusing on emotions and nature.

Sestina

A complex 39-line poem with six sestets (6-line stanzas) and a final tercet (3-line stanza).
The same six words end the lines of each stanza in a rotating pattern.

Couplet

Two rhyming lines of poetry that form a complete thought.
Can stand alone or be part of a longer poem.

Ghazal

A form of poetry with rhyming couplets and a refrain, often reflecting themes of love, loss, or mysticism.
Originates from Persian and Arabic poetry.

Concrete Poetry (Shape Poetry)

Poetry where the words are arranged to form a visual image or shape that reflects the poem’s theme.

Pantoum

A Malay verse form consisting of quatrains with a repeating pattern: the second and fourth lines of each stanza become the first and third lines of the next.
Often meditative or reflective.

Clerihew

A whimsical four-line poem about a person, often humorous or satirical, with an AABB rhyme scheme.
Example:
Sir Isaac Newton
Never drank fruit in.
He preferred tea,
Quite rightly, you see.

Epigram

A short, witty poem or statement, often satirical or humorous.
Example:
I can resist everything except temptation. – Oscar Wilde

Narrative Poem

A poem that tells a story, using a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Includes characters, a plot, and often dialogue.

Lyric Poem

A short poem expressing personal emotions or thoughts, often in the first person.

Dramatic Monologue

A poem in which a single speaker addresses a silent audience, revealing their character and emotions.
Example: Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess.

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