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Suzette Prime - Concise Update

Below is an updated version of the definition of my ™Suzette Prime poetic form here at PoetrySoup, plus the evaluation by MicroSoft Copilot. It also includes conditions of use.

Prime Numbers in General

As with the Fibonacci sequence, prime numbers are also found in nature: It was found that cicadas only leave their burrows at intervals of 7, 13, or 17 years, depending on the species.

In 2024, Luke Durant, discovered the 52nd Mersenne prime, which also happens to be the largest prime number known to mathematicians.

™Suzette Prime has been referenced in the SA publication © The Really Useful Maths book: A guide to interactive teaching, by Tony Brown, Henry Liebling (2014)—326 pp. An easy-to-follow, comprehensive guide packed with ideas and activities, it is the perfect tool to help teachers who wish to develop their teaching strategies.

“Prime number patterns... math is geometry.”
Image: by Jason Davies

The Ulam spiral or prime spiral (above) is a graphical depiction of the set of prime numbers, devised by mathematician Stanislav Ulam in 1963 and popularised in Martin Gardner's Mathematical Games column in Scientific American a short time later. It is constructed by writing the positive integers in a square spiral and specially marking the prime numbers.

Just as the Ulam spiral reveals hidden order in the distribution of prime numbers, the Suzette Prime poetic form encourages learners to discover patterns within constraint. By working with prime-numbered syllables, students are invited to play with mathematics in a creative, non-prescriptive way. This mirrors the essence of STEM education: cultivating curiosity, problem-solving, and pattern recognition rather than rote memorisation.*

™Suzette Prime becomes more than a poetic exercise—it is a gentle training ground for critical thinking. The form encourages reflection, creativity, and recognition of structure, all of which are life skills worth cultivating in a world increasingly shaped by STEM disciplines. In this way, poetry and mathematics converge, showing that learning how to think is as valuable as learning what to think.

Suzette Prime

The ™Suzette Prime is a Syllabic verse created by Suzette Richards in 2012

It relies on the following two identifiable factors: Prime Number Syllable count: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, etc; PLUS a philosophical statement.

Suzette Prime Design Format

Syllabic Verse: No rhyme or metre required.
Syllable Count: Each line's syllable count must conform to a prime number: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, etc. Used in any sequence, and could be used more than once over different lines.
Line Count: Any number of lines may be used to create your Suzette Prime poem, and no formal stanzas.
Content: A philosophical statement which might be personal in nature. It often stems from introspection or an observation translated into terms personal to the poet. Also see the earlier article on philosophy and folklore.†
Punctuation: Used sparingly, and none at the line ends.
Capitalisation: All in lowercase, except for proper nouns.
Title: The title of the poem is the prerogative of the poet—in any title case.

™ Suzette Prime is the ideal vehicle to express a personal philosophy in the more structured format of the prime number counts per line. This poetic form is distinctive because it formalises philosophy as a structural requirement, not just a thematic possibility. Philosophical overtones are also found in the poetry associated with Sufi and Zen texts, as well as those by western poets such as Emily Dickenson, etc.

The following are my examples of ™ Suzette Prime poetry—a spectrum of Suzette Prime’s adaptability. Together, they prove the form’s metamodern strength: it can inhabit multiple registers without losing coherence.

Abstract-metaphysical (moonwake)
Metamodern (verismo)
Philosophical (poetically man dwells)
Introspective (crimping clouds)

Examples

moonwake

the pulchritudinous moonwake captivates

inescapable

implicature is

inevitable

as our psyche thirsts for light

so poetry shines into the recesses

illuminates umpteen flaws

inversely

provides balm for forsaken
© Suzette Richards (2023)

verismo

the lips of sunset

caress teal outcrop

damp with anticipation

ever speeding up

and illuminating every last aspect

however reluctantly

as it

has to relinquish

its grip on reality

and find

blessed relief

after the day’s toil

to rest

a final burst of colour

in horizontal rainbow

celestial cymbals herald

the climax of the

verismo

whilst the setting sun reflects on how it squandered dawn

poetically man dwells

to dwell in physical form

neglects our inner being

to breathe in essence of self

never owned by anyone

the most drab of birds

sings a lullaby of hope

whereas the ostentatious

will try to drown out the truth

as hope is the last to die

its song

will be there for all

who wish to hear it

hope perches in the soul

folding its wings

around our fluttering hearts

Inspired by: ‘“Hope” is the thing with feathers’, by Emily Dickinson

The title, poetically man dwells, is a quote by the philosopher, Martin Heidegger.‡

™ Suzette Prime may be any number of lines—as few as a single line of verse:

crimping clouds ripple in reflection the day contracts as memories reseed in refection
an attenuated tree branch reaches out to its drowning shadow in the inert millpond

Understanding ™Suzette Prime

a collision of self and soul ink bruises where remembering begins

Summary

At 19 syllables, it adheres to one of the ™Suzette Prime chief requirements that the syllable count adds up to a prime number. It’s compact yet layered, and the caesura gives silence its own gravity. The philosophical angle—the other chief requirement of Suzette Prime— is clear: memory is not a gentle archive but a bruised act of becoming.

Analysis

Collision of self and soul: This is the existential spark—the moment of inner confrontation, where identity and essence meet.
Ink bruises: A visceral metaphor—writing as both wound and healing, memory pressed into permanence.
Remembering begins: The philosophical turn—memory isn’t passive; it’s an active genesis, a bruised rebirth of thought.

Analysis supplied by Copilot 7/8/2026

Evaluation of the Poetic Design

Evaluating the text, it appears to be written at a relatively accessible level of literacy. Based on factors such as vocabulary, sentence structure, and concepts, I would estimate the required literacy level to be approximately a high school level, around Grades 9 to 12. Here's why:

Vocabulary: The text contains some specialized terms (e.g., "Syllabic verse," "Prime Number Syllable count"), but these are defined within the text, making it easier for readers to understand. Overall, the vocabulary is not overly complex.
Sentence Structure: The sentences are generally straightforward, with clear and concise explanations. Some sentences are slightly longer, but they are broken down into manageable parts.
Concepts: The concept of a Suzette Prime poem is explained in detail, with clear instructions and examples. While the idea of using prime numbers for syllable counts might require some mathematical understanding, the text provides sufficient context for readers to grasp the concept.
Format: The use of bullet points and headings helps to organize the information, making it easier for readers to follow and understand.
Cultural differences: Philosophy in America is often treated as a specialised academic pursuit, while in older cultures it’s a way of life. That difference shapes how easily poets can integrate philosophical depth into their verse.

Overall, the text is designed to be informative and accessible, making it suitable for a wide audience, including those with a high school level of literacy.

Aligning with STEM: Because it’s imitation-resistant, it forces students to engage critically with the design criteria rather than passively accept machine output. Even if an AI generates a draft, the student must evaluate, adjust, and validate—which mirrors the iterative process in STEM learning. In both cases, the learner is to take ownership of the outcome, rather than relying on a pre-packaged solution.

Microsoft Copilot evaluation dated 13 March 2025 & 26/5/2026

Suzette Prime Prose

See my latest article for this exciting new direction that I've taken:

Suzette Prime Prose - The Versatility of Prosimetrums, dated 9/9/2026.

Common AI Tells in Suzette Prime

It is not AI’s fault, but rather the example ™ Suzette Prime poems available on poetry websites that lead it to default to the most common incorrect aspects of this poetry.

Capitalised line starts—AI defaults to conventional capitalisation, even though the form requires lowercase except for proper nouns. As this is also the default setting when composing a poem on a computer or iPhone, one needs to guard against a sweeping judgment, as it might be a human error.
Punctuation overuse—commas, periods, dashes at line ends, instead of the sparse, mid-line punctuation the form calls for. A question mark at line end is permissible if required for clarity.
Quotations—AI drops quotation marks around “philosophical” statements, which is alien to the form.
Incorrect syllable counts—lines with 9 syllables (not prime), or drifting into even counts.
Incremental prime sequence—2, 3, 5, 7, 11… stacked like a staircase, instead of instinctive line breaks.
Rhyme and metre—AI imposes rhyme or metrical regularity, though Suzette Prime is syllabic only. Internal rhyme is permissible in one-liners, but it needs to blend seamlessly with the content.
Generic philosophy—vague musings (“life is fleeting, time is eternal”) without lived-in detail or embodied experience.

[Edited 16/9/2026]

Conclusion

Suzette Prime occupies a fascinating middle ground. It may be as brief or expansive as you wish—longer than a haiku, shorter in syllable count than an Alexandrine, or extended into multiple lines. Yet it resists being classified as free verse, for it is bound by prime-number syllable discipline and the essential demand for philosophical insight.

Conditions of Use

No part of the design format of ™Suzette Prime may be copied or changed in any manner, including the unique name of the poetic form—it would constitute Paraphrasing plagiarism.

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

Recommended article:

Suzette Prime Poems | Examples of Suzette Prime Poetry (poetrysoup.com)

Related articles:

*STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics):

STEM Integration in Education: The Growing Influence of Python and Computational Thinking (poetrysoup.com)

†Suzette Prime - Philosophy and Folklore | PoetrySoup.com

‡Sit with It - Poetry as Reflection (poetrysoup.com)

THE BEST EXAMPLES OF SUZETTE PRIME POEMS FROM INCEPTION & NOW

Eileen Manassian (2013): https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/the_classical_argument_for_love_497316

Ghairo Daniels: ‘Voir Dire Series’ (2026)

Voir Dire on Love : Voir Dire Series 1 | Poem (poetrysoup.com)