The Versesmith

Alphabet haiku using the letter Y .  Alphabet haiku is an invented form created by Beatrice Evans. Invented forms are new poetic structures that do not necessarily follow traditional or established "rules."  Alphabet haiku follows the traditional haiku syllable count of 5/7/5.  The only change required is each word begins with the same letter.  My twist? Only the first word of each line begins with the same letter. After all, it’s an invented form, and they do not necessarily follow established “rules”!  Y ang Jian is a figure in Chinese mythology.  I found this mid-century half-tone print of Y ang Jian in an Italian frame in the Goodwill Outlet bins.  It's not unusual for his third eye to be missing, as exports (the print isn't Italian, only the frame) "softened" the supernatural elements for the Western markets. Also, his celestial dog is often left out of these small prints, the focus is on the central figure.    yang jian, warrior ...

X is always the hardest letter, especially for a poetic form.  So, this artwork was chosen not for an X as a title or subject of the artwork, but for the red X I see across the image.  It may not have been the artist's intent, although it would fit his theme.  So, no specific poetry form, some lines free verse, some rhymed, it's just a poem based on the red X .  This is a print of Franz Marc's   Fate of the Animals , painted in 1913, here renamed by the publisher, for an American market, as   Animals at Bay .  The artist wrote on the back of the original canvas, " And all being is flaming, suffering ," or " And all being is flaming sorrow ."  Marc had a feeling of foreboding, a premonition of society's apocalyptic shattering.  He sensed the coming World War, and his painting depicts the price of human conflict on nature, the animals as innocent victims.  The dark portion of the painting was damaged a few years later, after the...

T ermelay, an unrhymed 6-line poem where line 6 repeats line 3, with syllables 4/4/4/8/8/4.  Some syllable counters will show "remembrances" as three, however it's one of those words that we pronounce differently from the formal rules. T urquoise Memories is a monotype, a print created by drawing or painting on a smooth, non-absorbent surface and transferring that image onto paper.  A monotype is one of a kind.  I bought this at Goodwill for $5.21.  There was a gallery sticker on the back, $550! Remembrances swirl in my mind just out of reach nudging memory, soft white sand turquoise waters, you in my arms just out of reach ©202 6 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved      

A  M ondo is a poem with a question and an answer, often written by two poets in collaboration.  The focus of a M ondo is on nature.  It is comprised of two 5/7/7 stanzas, the first being the question, the second the answer.  M agpie Goose (artist's title) is a limited edition (154/500) print by Australian artist Doris Gingingara (1946-1999).  I bought it as Goodwill for $2.06 with the signed and dated (9/99) Certificate of Authenticity on the back. Beautiful you are. I will ask you only this; are your eggs pure gold? My eggs are golden, this is true, for they contain my priceless goslings. ©202 6 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved  

L anturne,   or L antern poetry has only two requirements and forms more or less a Japanese lantern shape.  5 lines syllable count per line: 1/2/3/4/1  The L ighthouse is a lithograph copyright Henry B. Sandler Co. Inc. New York City published around 1962-1964.  The artist of the original painting is shown as Alfieri, most likely a publisher house artist or contract artist.  The name Alfieri is found on multiple Sandler Co. prints from the 1960s.  I found this in its original frame (Sandler lithographs were sold in frames, ready to hang) in the Goodwill Outlet bins.  10¢ a pound glass price! his safety dependent on the steady light ©202 6 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved    

F ree Verse is poetry f ree from limitations, it does not follow a regular meter or rhyme scheme, poets are free to shape lines freely.  I bought this antique print, F rost Breaking , c.1850s-1880s, in 1969 or 1970 in Portobello Market, London, when I was 13 years old. Fox Terrier wants to be one of the big boys howling at dawn. His strident “yips” bring s laughter to the Huntsman as he mixes their morning pudding.                                                        ©202 6  Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved   (Hounds were usually fed early in the day. The huntsman would prepare a mix called “hound meal” or “pudding,” often boiled grains, meat scraps, and broth.)

An   E levenie  is a short poem with just e leven words in five lines.  It is also called an E lfchen.  " E lf" is German for e leven, and "chen" is a term of endearment and denotes something small.  Each line in an E levenie has two specific requirements.  First, what words are used.  1 - a thought, object, color, etc. (some instructions list this as just a noun) 2 - what does that word in line one do? 3 - where is that word, or how is it? 4 - what do you mean by that? 5 - What is the result?  Second, how many words in each line. 1,2,3,4,1 The E ye of God , or   L’Oeil de Dieu , is not the title Salvador Dali gave this print, however it is the dealer title, or marketing name.  He created it for one of the illustrations in  The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini .  This is not from the book, it's a later print.  While some think " Oh!  A Dali print!  That's valuable! "  Not really....

  D ribble is the poem form of the D rabble, a 100 letter (don't count spaces for punctuation) word story.  The D eath , by Charles-Fernand de Condamy, print date 1880-1910, from Goodwill for $5.21 in frame not shown. Torn between the gruesome scene and beauty of the print, I focus on the latter, and imagine Reynard lived to see another day. ©202 6  Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved  

Poets and Storytellers United  Friday Writings #214: Love, love, glorious love! detail of stone lithograph in author's collection, 1909 - K. C. Baking Powder - ©Jaques Mfg. Co., Chicago  White roses by moonlight. Butterflies in the hollyhocks. Scent of vanilla rising from my coffee. Roses dry as bone. Butterflies have flown. My coffee cold and bitter. Love-lost, I live in shadow. ©2026 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved   #poetsandstorytellersunited #fridaywritings #sevenling #lovelost 

Poets and Storytellers United Friday Writings: 182: Anger As (Healthy) Fuel  LA Burning 3 - edition 2/40 by Linda Lyke, in author's collection   My fury burns hot, leaving nothing but ash blown off by my searing breath. That is you, the ash, whisked away from my life, I’m all the better for it. ©2025 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved