Poetry

Sometimes only a poem will do to set a mood, record an event, or celebrate an occasion. Poems, like music, take many forms: haiku, sonnet, free verse, couplet, silly, serious, humorous, long, short. One will be perfect to express your thoughts:

Haiku

Haiku is one of the most beautiful of poetic forms. Unrhymed lines of 5, 7, 5 crystallise a moment:

When a butterfly
struggles to leave the cocoon
its wings become strong

Light verse

Of course, you don't have to conform to haiku to make a short poem. Last year's wet summer inspired this one, entitled ENGLISH PICNIC:

BBQ!
A summer shower passes through.
Stew.

For a longer example, visit the sky on the night of the Perseid Meteor Shower. Or perhaps Wandering, freshly returned from a competition run by a major bookseller, will inspire you to visit another universe instead.

Sonnets

Sonnets are a more formal form, with strict rhyming conventions and exactly 14 lines. Equinox was inspired by a harvest moon setting at dawn.

Occasions

The unique gift of a personal poem can make any occasion extra special. This is one example of a retirement poem from 2000 (note the price of coffee!). Details of the retiree's career and her fondness for jazz were encapsulated into a few well-received lines for Patti's Poem.