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Please help me "Footle" a poem ....

Blog Posted by Debra Squyres: 1/23/2013 6:51:00 PM

To write a footle I need some help...I've researhed here on the soup and on the net...which brings me back to the soup...

This is what I've found...

A footle is a 2 line, 2 syllable trochaic monometer poem with an integral title suitable for light, witty, pertinent, topical verse.

Trochaic (trochee) : A foot in with one accented
syllable followed by one unaccented syllable

Example: only, total

Monometer: A line consisting of one metrical foot.
Monometers are very rare. However an example of a (predominantly) iambic monometer is Upon His Departure Hence by Robert Herrick.

I'm afraid I've been in a footle...because so much of this is greek to me.

I do realize a metrical foot has nothing to do with math...lol

I have read some of the footle poems on the soup...

But how will I know if I've written it correctly....I know I'm a bother !!!

But....can someone explain in clearer words to this "undereducated on poetry mind??"

Is the following a footle?:

Wasting Time

Footle
Fiddle

or have I footled my time today??

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Brian
Strand

Date: 1/26/2013 1:34:00 AM

just one thing folks the footle is what it says no more no less( a trifle or silly nonsense).A light,witty,humourous,topical spur of the moment poetic piece.The best way to learn is to read the many hundreds posted here over the years.(Go to Poems link above and select footle category).Read and(when you stop laughing) then have a go,(rocket science it aint!.Have a good weekend 'footling' about.

Charles
Henderson

Date: 1/25/2013 9:11:00 PM

New Dad / happy pappy

Brian Strand
Date: 1/26/2013 1:28:00 AM

Nice one Charles - a classic footle.Ticks all the boxes.Rgds Brian

Charles
Henderson

Date: 1/25/2013 9:10:00 PM

Deb, Your original question is so mired down in all these comments, my advice is to completely ignore most of this including my one comment which was only partially correct, and follow Brian's explanation, because it is his form. @Brian: thanks about the title. I had forgotten it was integral. Oh, I just thought of one. Will add in a comment by itself.

Debra
Squyres

Date: 1/25/2013 9:46:00 AM

Is this a foodle?? Stiff Upper Lip Public Stoic

Debra Squyres
Date: 1/25/2013 9:48:00 AM

STIFF UPPER LIP / Public / Stoic ....forgot to add the breaks oooppps

Andrea
Dietrich

Date: 1/25/2013 8:12:00 AM

Debra, footle does not rhyme with fiddle. I am seeing lots of people trying to do footles this way. You have to use the same vowel sound inside the rhyming words. Like Joann did down here when she said Shaking/quaking for her aspen poem. don't worry about the meter. there is not much can go wrong on meter of two words rhymed together. Just focus on rhyme. Go to google and look for "rhyming dictionary" and then just type in a word like quaking. It will show you all the rhymes. You could even use two single words like the original footle called Fleas: Adam/had'em. Can you see how Adam rhymes with Had'em? Good luck, sweetie!

Debra Squyres
Date: 1/25/2013 9:43:00 AM

Thanks Andrea...still trying to write one that works...tying the last verse with a title that fits it. I really thought this would be easy...but find it rather taxing. Posting what I came up with so far.

Isaiah
Zerbst

Date: 1/24/2013 10:55:00 AM

Much thanks Debra and Suzette for educating some of the soupers about rhythm and metre. Typing in a word such as "Trochee" should pop up a page with much helpful info all together. It seems to me that for a newbie, with it all spread out like this, it would be somewhat daunting. Anyway, rhythmic poetry is so much prettier.

Debra Squyres
Date: 1/24/2013 11:49:00 AM

I prefer the rhythmic poetry as well in free verse. Though I'm trying to learn to understand some of the terms and how to apply them. These brain cells need a little plumping !! lol I do find the definitions taxing when looking up forms and terms...for a newbie ...it isn't very helpful Perhaps a section for Poetry forms and terms for the newbie !!

Joann
Grisetti

Date: 1/24/2013 8:27:00 AM

Aspens//shaking/quaking Is this a footle?

Debra Squyres
Date: 1/24/2013 9:29:00 AM

After research on the Quaking Aspens...I'd say it does. But that is just me.

Debra
Squyres

Date: 1/24/2013 7:29:00 AM

I cannot express enough how thankful I am for all of your comments... So, I shall give it a try.

Debra Squyres
Date: 1/24/2013 9:44:00 AM

Perhaps I'll contact Brian, with this summary and since it was his created named form, see if he will. TPS should make sure their terms and forms are written in a way that those of us who aren't familiar with them can understand. Great idea, Suzette... but think Brian needs to have final say...understand?

Debra Squyres
Date: 1/24/2013 7:43:00 AM

In a nutshell... 1. Title is Important part of the foodle. 2. Two lines/two syllables each. 3. Rhyme in both syllables or in only last. 4. Stress on the first syllable. 5. Last line should wrap the title up in a package.

Andrea
Dietrich

Date: 1/24/2013 6:40:00 AM

I think this example is Brian's: It's called Bonnie & Clyde: Too Snide/ Both died. Too and Both do not rhyme, but Snide rhymes with Died. I like to rhyme both syllables of each word of my footles with each other, but I need to try footles where I only rhyme the second unstressed syllables with each other. It will give me countless more footles to add to my collection! For sure, you need to rhyme the second syllables! 1st syllable rhyming is optional. I think some poets here don't understand how to do them. The actual "joke" of them is in the title. Take "bonny and clyde" Too snide/both died sums up very nicely what those two were about! Think of good rhymes first and then make the title!

Debra Squyres
Date: 1/24/2013 7:40:00 AM

Suzette...thanks for the technical support lol

Debra Squyres
Date: 1/24/2013 7:30:00 AM

Thank you !!!

Andrea
Dietrich

Date: 1/24/2013 6:30:00 AM

I was reading through all the comments below and saw Debs telling you I could do them. That was so sweet of her. I have done several hundred of them, sweetie. You only have to go through my pages and look for the titles: Footles 1, Footles 2, etc. I do mine completely rhymed, such as this simple example: happy pappy (where the ha rhymes with Pa and the ppy rhymes with ppy.) However, I have noticed Brian (who coined the name and got it recognized as a form here at Soup) has done some very good ones using rhyme only on the second syllable. (I need to continue this in another box)

Brian
Strand

Date: 1/24/2013 1:45:00 AM

Sadly Debra your footle is not the best example of a footle form .This anonymous trochaic monometer FLEAS Adam/Had'em was the inspiration for my footle form.The footle has an integral title (effectively the third line),the theme is always light, pertinent, witty, topical.Rhyme is generally a key feature and the norm is just two lines, although like any good poetry form it can be sequenced in to a longer poem, as some PS poets have shown ,when footle was all the rage a while back here.For my taste, sequencing it beyond a couplet dilutes the impact of the form.Whatever! as they say.Rgds Brian PS I have published two kindle ebooks of my footle if you want to read on!(99c each or free to Prime)

Debra Squyres
Date: 1/24/2013 8:14:00 AM

Thank you, Brian !!

Seren
Roberts

Date: 1/24/2013 12:07:00 AM

I want it in simple english too I thought i was the only thick one. To the experienced these terms are great but to me they are a foreign language

Charles
Henderson

Date: 1/23/2013 10:54:00 PM

noodle doodle/ as in brain teaser

Debra Squyres
Date: 1/24/2013 7:37:00 AM

Thus my Wasting time...both foodle and fiddle have similiar meanings. Yet it was said it is not a good example of a foodle. This can get complicated for such a short form lol

Charles
Henderson

Date: 1/23/2013 10:38:00 PM

bitty kitty----- as a small cat

Charles
Henderson

Date: 1/23/2013 10:36:00 PM

I think, both words need two syllables and both need to rhyme. They have to read as a short message. Like, the two of them together mean something which makes sense as opposed to just two rhyming words. I think our Brian strand made up the form. You can soup him and find out for sure. We had a few contests with them but was some time ago.

Charles
Henderson

Date: 1/23/2013 10:30:00 PM

okie dokie

Charles
Henderson

Date: 1/23/2013 10:30:00 PM

footle doodle