Short Tetrameter Poems

Poet Laureate Alfred Tennyson
with tetrameter(ABBA) had much fun
Gifted with wordplay he was blest
'In Memorium' at his best...

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The thing I like 'bout poetry
       Not metaphor or simile
  
     Nor metered foot nor probity
       I like it when it smiles at me



        ~ Iambic Tetrameter ~...

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Direct to You our prayers are sent
From we who sin, from we who fall
O Lord, you've asked us to repent...
You surely hear us when we call
You see our hearts ~ Forgive us all


        Iambic Tetrameter...

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The English say black cats are good -
They think we bring them charming luck;
But in the States, black cats are bad,
So trans-Atlantic flights just suck!

for Deb's metre contest
I think this is iambic tetrameter...

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Does He listen when we pray
I'm ready for my soul to bare
Should I be careful what I say
I fold my hands in heartfelt prayer
  ~ As I wonder if He's there


        
        Iambic Tetrameter
        (Slightly Modified)...

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King Shlomo was a real smart man
He built the Temple per God's plan
They say he penned "The Song of Songs"
Such brilliance should have lasted long
But was he really truly wise
What need had he for all those wives


       

      Iambic Tetrameter...

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A sleepy day upon the couch:
while little Vivi takes a nap,
I, too, will catch a little rest.
I hope she doesn’t wake a grouch,
or with a diaper that is slap
full of a word you may have guessed.

—————

A sestet, iambic tetrameter with abcabc rhyme scheme....

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Peacefully playful he pleasantly progresses
Wistfully wishful she whispers sweet willingness
Mystically mindful he mesmerized motionless
Lustfully lying she lavishes loveliness
Together they create triumphant tenderness



(In Dactyllic Tetrameter)
4/27/2016...

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When two minds click, it's ecstasy
Creative flames leap to and fro
Ideas flow so easily
When two minds click, it's ecstasy
New theories proffered breezily
Abstract musings yield seeds to sow
When two minds click it's ecstasy
Creative flames leap to and fro



        (Iambic tetrameter)...

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There's an eight-line poem -
Tree-o-lay (as we say).
Two same lines do repeat -
The A line more than once!
Twice rhyme A; once rhyme B.
Tetrameter with beat -
This form is short and sweet!

Rhyme scheme of Triolet: ABaAabAB
Oct. 24, 2020 for Joseph May's 'Pleiades 3' Poetry Contest...

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We're on our way to Island Bay
To sun and swim, relax and play
Canoe and sail, perhaps to fish

We're on our way to Island Bay
Dine out in style: fine wine, sorbet
Explore new trails, vacation's wish

We're on our way to Island Bay
To sun and swim, relax and play



      Iambic Tetrameter...

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To order groc'ries easily
You'll find it best to shop on-line
Just touch the numbers on your phone
To order groc'ries easily --
No parking in no-parking zones
Don't wait in line for hours on end --
To order groc'ries easily
You'll find it best to shop on-line



       

     Iambic Tetrameter...

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I cannot say if I will stay
I will not share my pure despair
I won’t reveal through this ordeal 
I do not care you’re unaware

I don’t believe I can relieve
I won’t explain the endless pain
You never thought you would get caught 
And now I’m strained to wax or wane


(In Iambic Tetrameter)
4/28/2016...

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O, why's my love not quite enough
You say that things are super-rough
You have to be insanely tough
And turn your voice up extra-gruff

No time to be a soft creampuff
Solution's made of sterner stuff --
I pray you'll hear this friend's rebuff
  ~ True love is always THE right stuff



        (Iambic Tetrameter)...

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The Lesson

She’d sought the love that was fool’s gold,
a brassy thing, shiny and bold.

Thinking her home was in his arms,
she found that his hugs, did not warm.

She parted swiftly with a grin.
and said, "I won't be fooled again."

11/17/16
Iambic tetrameter 4 beats per 8 syllable line
Contest 244
Brian Strand...

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Flying High

I yearn to spread my wings and fly,		
a fearless eagle soaring high.			
To be free like the wind and sing,			
finding beauty in everything.			
Like white clouds, I seek the blue sky!		
	


The form is Spanish Quintain or Quintilla: Rhyme scheme: a, a, b, b, a 
Iambic Tetrameter 8 syllables per line...

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Serenity is hard to get 
Just turn your back and you forget 
There is no worth in fighting back 
People babble 'bout things they lack 

Someday, you'll gonna find your peace 
A heaven full of grace and bliss 
Just walk away, forget your past 
There comes a day when dusk will last 

8 syllables per line 
In iambic tetrameter 

March 3, 2024, PST, CC, BC 

...

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I really think that where I’m at
  is getting rid of belly fat

For if it doesn’t go away
  a ‘diet doc’ I’ll have to pay

Long lists of foods that I can’t eat
  potato chips and choc’late treats 

Raw veggies, fruits, no processed foods
  asparagus to kill my mood  

But never fear, I’ll reach my goal
  ~ eliminate my jelly roll



     ~ Iambic Tetrameter ~...

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Hillel the Sage was destitute
Although his mind was sharp, astute
Chopped wood to earn his daily bread
Then studied 'til he went to bed
The Golden Rule Hillel devised
Be kind to others; That is wise...
Treat everyone exactly as
  ~ You'd want them to treat you



       Iambic Tetrameter



Note: The name, "Hillel,' is accented 
on the second syllable in correct Hebrew...

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The tree was wracked with age, disease
  her branches missing bark and leaves
Chill rains attacked -- it coughed, it wheezed
  Resistance gone, what good to grieve

Once tall and stately, proud to be
  the loveliest of maple trees
Her sap flowed rich throughout the Fall
  Delicious treat for one and all

So sad to see a landmark die
  Enough to make a grown man cry



     ~ Iambic Tetrameter ~...

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I met him in a time and place
so long ago! His handsome face
I longed to touch. It was at night.
He saw me too - love at first sight!
We danced a while and ever since,
we've been together. As my prince,
he has my heart. It's only right
we share this life in love's embrace.

June 22, 2018 For Silent One's Seven lines of romantic heaven Poetry Contest
This is Septilla Form: aabccba with Iambic tetrameter....

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Listen to poem:

*Image of Triolet Poem Type by Word Wool.

Triolet

Eight-lined poem called Triolet,
With tetrameter holds four beats,
A rhyming scheme will square away,
Eight-lined poem called Triolet,
Repeating lines come into play,
duh-DUH duh-DUH two more completes,
Eight-lined poem called Triolet,
With tetrameter holds four beats,

2022 August 19
*3rd Place*
Triolet - Old or New
~~Joseph May: Judged 2022 August 24...

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Here begins a series of Burns stanzas
commemorating the Catholic Missions found in Old California along "El Camino Real", The King's Highway. The rhyme scheme is
aaabab and the meter is trochee.
Lines "a" are tetrameter lines and lines "b" are dimeter lines.


California's oldest mission.
Shrine provides appreciation,
viewing proselytization.
Converts, business,
making tribes of Christian passion.
Seeds brought, priests bless....

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The clumps are placed atop the grate
And fire is lit below.
Soon steam will form in empty space.
The process seems too slow.
While tender morsels slowly roast
The beer and coke flows free.
Camaraderie is displaced,
when open shells you see. 

common ballad
alternating between Iambic Tetrameter and Iambic Trimeter
only line 2 and 4 have to Rhyme in each 4 lines.

© Oct 10 Charles Henderson
For Brian's "up to 10 lines" contest...

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She's thrice now had a scarlet groom
Adorned in silk this dusty room
	She sobbed away sorrows in black
	When she discovered the knapsack
	In gold and pearls, did sorely lack
	And her head and palm greeted, smack!
	Like his body met the floor, thwack!
	The house empty, less her they track
Hardened heart, hollowed like a tomb
Was it lover's spat or planned doom?


------------
Duo-rhyme? Not quite got the iambic tetrameter down, but I tried....

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