by Holly Jahangiri | Mar 1, 2026
The Pirouette poetry form is, according to a 2014 post on the Poetry Forms blog of the Poetry Society of Tennessee, an invention of Chuck Belcher, who wrote a collection of them in “Our Daily Grind.” Unfortunately, this is all I could find out about Chuck Belcher. I found mention of the form in a message from poet Judi Van Gorder, aka Tinker, in a post on Poetry Magnum Opus, dating back to 2010.
I have to laugh, every time I see reference to “an invented form.” Aren’t they all invented by someone?
At any rate, the rules of the form are as follows:
- 10 lines (decastich)
- 6 syllables per line (hexasyllabic)
- line 5 is repeated in line 6 (punctuation changes are allowed)
- a turnaround (volta) after line 5, which according to the Poetry Society of Tennessee “must be sharp, taking the thought in a different, hopefully opposite, direction.”
In other words, unmetered hexasyllabic decastich with a sharp volta acting as a pirouette between lines 5 and 6. (You hate me now, don’t you?)
Seasons Change
Breezy Spring’s all too brief and
Summer’s end blazes near.
Thunder rolls down green hills
and lightning streaks the sky
when the west wind blows cold.
When the west wind blows cold
and triple-digit heat
gives way to autumn chill
bring kindling for the fire
to ward off Winter’s freeze.
Your turn!
Give the Pirouette form a try – here, in comments, or on your own blog (leave me a link, here, if you post it publicly – I’d love to read it).
by Holly Jahangiri | Mar 1, 2026
Question for the Writers – Especially the Poets – Reading This
What do you do when you are feeling uninspired and don’t know what to write about? A friend asked this question, recently, and I brainstormed an answer – my left eye is still twitching from the mental lightning and my nose is stuffed up with the pollen the wind through my ears blew in. But here are a few thoughts on winning the battle with “writers block.”
- Pick 5 random words from the dictionary and use all of them in a poem.
- Read the news; write a poem that relates in some way to current events.
- Stare for 15 minutes at a rock. Write a poem about the rock. Or about whatever thoughts flitted through your head during that 15 minutes to save you from death by boredom.
- Look through an old photo album. Write about whatever memory that triggers.
- If you have an Android, download the Google Arts & Culture app. Take a virtual visit of a city or a museum. Write an ekphrastic poem.
- Write a poem that appeals to all five senses – or five poems focusing on one sense each.
- Remember that you do not have to be “inspired” or be in the throes of some strong emotion to write a poem. Look at Roethke’s “Dolor.” Write about being UNinspired.
- Write a poem to or about your lazy-ass Muse. Or one from your Muse’s POV – about YOUR lazy ass. (Hey, I don’t judge and I’ve written from both POVs.)
- Back to the rock – pick any ordinary item. Write about what makes it special in its ordinariness.
In all seriousness, I think we sometimes give ourselves writers block just trying to write about the most important thing, you know? The big things. The things we think matter – or things we think should matter. But sometimes, those are not the things demanding OUR attention or interest in the moment. Don’t feel guilty for that. Don’t write the thing you think you ought to write – just write. See what brain wants you to write about. It might just be a crumb carried by an ant 1/5th its size…or that might end up being a metaphor worth exploring more deeply.
by Holly Jahangiri | Feb 16, 2026
The Quadrille poetry form appears to be an invention of dVerse ~ Poets Pub around 2016. Visit the Pub on alternating Mondays to share your own. Here’s the dVerse ~ Poets Pub schedule if you’d like to try your hand at it using “official” prompts, posting poems in your own blog, and sharing with others in the Pub. Search the site for “quadrille” to read past Quadrille poems.
Basically, your poem must be exactly 44 words long. It needn’t follow any set meter or rhyme scheme.
I first learned about this form from Kaci Cutshaw Rigney in The Stafford Challenge (2026 Cohort). Cleveland Wall created a Quadrille poem using, as a prompt, 44 words found on one page of a book – then jotted them down on paper, cut up the paper, and rearranged the words like magnetic poetry. For mine, I followed Karen Johnson McCaskey’s lead and used a random word generator. The first word it gave me was “prejudice.” I kept that and rolled the dice again, choosing “access” and “axis” from the list. Then I just started free-writing, inserting stronger words where needed, words that flowed better – and removing words that weren’t pulling their weight in pushing me towards that total of 44. Not one word more, not one word less. That dreaded “editing” step is crucial when writing to such constrained forms.
Illusory, the Perfect Union
Built on quarried rock and prejudice,
the old world spins, its crooked axis
tipsy tumbler and twisted key,
a lock to bar good people’s rightful access.
A bureaucratic maze, an entry fee,
a loathsome oath – democracy
was never truly free
for you and me.
Word-Limited Forms
I’m not usually a big fan of micro-flash fiction, six-word stories (that’s barely a sentence, let alone a “slice of life vignette”), a strict 5-7-5 syllable rule as the only defining characteristic of haiku, and so on.
That said, I know that 100-word stories are possible; 44-word poems might give the poet enough elbow room to express a thought, too. And expressing a thought within the constraint of some arbitrary word count is probably a good exercise in brevity for writers who normally struggle to stick to a central idea and try (as I often do) to “boil the ocean” by combining too many thoughts in a single poem or short story.
Try it! Feel free to post your poem in the comments below or share a link to your Quadrille poem(s) posted on your own blog.
by Holly Jahangiri | Feb 8, 2026
This morning, after I shared this among a group of poets, a friend remarked, “You get all the best spam!” It doesn’t always inspire or even rise to the level of a bizarre Mad Lib that might serve as a worn springboard over an empty urban swimming pool, but now and then, there’s a little gem.
Imaginary High
Another “Found Poem” – as in, I found this in my spam folder.
“I’ve tried a lot of brands, but these are legit the best. I go off visit united after a lengthy epoch and it just helps me depress abroad and stop overthinking everything. They leaning like actual candy no unnatural grassy flavor at all. My take a nap has been feeling bigger since I started fascinating them, too. If you’re on the fence, honest fetch them! They’re a total lifesaver as a remedy for my constantly stress.” — some random spammer
I've tried them all. They meld
united in their sameness.
This lengthy epoch spent abroad
depresses me. I'm overthinking
everything. Everything that once was
sweetness - candy - bright tang -
none of this unnatural
grassy flavor. Just natural scents
of Blue Citrus #5 and the taste
of artifice, of colors crafted in a lab
like lifesavers in a sea of stress.
I fascinate them, too. They quiver
at the touch of my tongue.
My take-a-nap feels bigger
perched upon the fence - the horizon
throws an honest fetch,
my dreams, the bone.
If you missed my previous foray into the spam bucket to find poetic inspiration, see Poetry Forms Challenge 2026: “Found Poems”.
by Holly Jahangiri | Jan 26, 2026
Once again, I am issuing myself a new “poetic forms challenge” and I invite you to join me as a reader, a writer, or both! Three things I’d ask of you:
1) If you think you hate poetry, read along with an open mind. Comment here with what, specifically, you liked or disliked about the poems posted or poetry in general. Please keep it focused on the writing – no one cares if you love me or hate me, personally.
2) If you think you’re not a poet, try writing along, anyway! You may share your poems in the comments below, submit them for publication somewhere, share them on your own blog – it would be lovely if you’d link back to this one, if you do – or tuck them gently into the pages of your secret journal. (If you share here, you grant me non-exclusive, worldwide rights in perpetuity to display them in comments on my blog. I may, at my discretion, refuse or delete any comment, and I will do so if your words are derogatory towards anyone or if they are not PG-13 or somewhat milder than R. I’m not a prude, by any means, but this is not the place to post anything excessivly smutty, either. Start your own blog if you want to do that! 😶 😁
3) If you see a link in this blog, know that I put it there on purpose, to be helpful to you, and to include relevant information from other sources that I have personally visited and found trustworthy. While I do not guarantee that all these sites will abstain from running ads from third-party servers (which sometimes do try to land garbage on your PC – it is 2026 and you should be practicing safe surfing. Run a decent antimalware program, always!) I will guarantee that I have not personally encountered such things on anything I link to here!
Now, on to Fun and Found Poems!
Today, I am skipping to the letter “F” and “Found Poems.” Some of the common types of “found poetry” include free form excerpting and remixing, erasure, cento and cut-up.
The following poem was “inspired” by a bit of nonsense caught in my Spam folder. As mentioned in 3) above, if you blog or use the internet at all, you should run a decent anti-spam plug-in. You can’t stop spammers and scammers from trying, but you can stop the spam comments from getting through what I like to call, “The Bouncer.” My Bouncer likes to throw trash comments into the moat. But if you leave a nice, personal comment here and it doesn’t appear right away, fret not – odds are, it’s simply being held, temporarily, in Moderation. Help yourself to a nice spot of tea while the Bouncer checks your ID and wait for me to unlock the doors. After an approved comment or two, you’re golden.
Anyway, I digress. Spam comments are often run through something like the old “article spinners” and result in something that reads like the writer barfed up a thesaurus on top of a Mad Lib. They make for interesting poetry and short stories, sometimes. You might as well use them as a springboard, these “unsolicited submissions” of word salad. Today’s exemplar begged for a little strangeness. I believe they were selling some sort of ‘shroom-laced vape cartridge. If it’s effective, is it even legal?? If you’ve come looking to buy one, I’m not selling.
Add This to Your Mushroom Cart and Smoke It
a “Found Poem” – as in, I found this in my spam folder.
“I’m indubitably impressed before the sure effects. They’ve helped me perceive calmer, more balanced, and less restless everywhere the day. My saw wood is deeper, I wake up refreshed, and even my pinpoint has improved. The quality is famous, and I cherish the sensible ingredients.” – some random Asian spammer
Impressed. Indubitably.
The daily, restless moving
lacking purpose, lacking balance
now perceived as focused pinpoint
light - gymnopedia without the fetters -
unhinged reality balanced
on the head of an angel.
My saw wood cedar-scented and alive:
deep-rooted, anastamosing
psychedelic, undulating,
yes. Thin rectangle, magic plastic
keycard to rabbit holes
where smoking caterpillars,
and strange-shaped mushrooms,
seem like sensible ingredients
to cherish.
