Designed Poetic Forms Resistant to AI Imitation

This is replacing my previous blog, as I was asked which are my favourite among my many diverse designed forms. Thank you Andrea Dietrich for prompting me to reflect on this matter.

Art from FB page: Feel The Line - Tatyana Makovtsev

This blog is not a lament. It is a call to precision. A call to poets who still believe that growth comes from grappling with form, from honouring lineage, and from wielding the pen with instinct and integrity. The eighteen forms (see list in footnote) I’ve developed over the past thirteen years are not shortcuts. They are challenges. They are invitations to write with care, with courage, and above all, with originality.

Syllabic Verse

Syllabic verse is defined as a verse where no rhyme or metre is included. The rhythm is determined and shaped by the line lengths which are reliant on specific syllable counts.

Suzette Prime (2012)

The two distinct elements:

• Prime-numbered syllables: Lines must adhere to a prime number syllable count (eg, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, etc).
• Philosophical insight: The poem should convey a reflective or introspective statement, often personal in nature.

Key Features of a Suzette Prime

• Syllabic Verse: No rhyme or metre is required.
• Syllable Count: Each line’s syllable count must match a prime number. Any sequence and repetition of counts are allowed.
• Line Count: There are no restrictions on the number of lines or stanzas.
• Content: The poem expresses a personal philosophy or observation with introspective depth.
• Punctuation: Use sparingly, avoiding punctuation at the ends of lines as the line breaks serve this purpose.
• Capitalisation: Use lowercase for all words, except proper nouns.
• Title: The poet may choose any title they wish.

EXAMPLE POEM: Verismo (poetrysoup.com)

Syllabic & Rhyme

It combines rhyme and syllable counts to enhance the rhythm of the verse(s).

The Tesla 3–6–9 (2017)

The design of the form was inspired by the following media hype at the time:

Alleged quotes by Nikola Tesla—unsubstantiated

1. If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.

2. If you only knew the magnificence of the 3, 6, and 9, then you would have a key to the universe.

The following is a later addition to the form (dated 2025):

Tone slippage is when the voice of a poem slips between moods, emotional states, or aesthetic intentions—sometimes within a single line or phrase. It creates friction or resonance, allowing seemingly contradictory emotions to coexist. It invites the reader to pay closer attention, to navigate ambiguity and double resonance.

The Design:

• A 9-line verse.
• Lines 3, 6 and 9 rhyme.
• The syllable count of lines 3, 6, and 9 correspond to the line number.
• The 9^th line is the punchline and includes a tonal slippage—

• it is not a catalogue of Tesla’s life or work.

• Metre is optional.
• Any topic relating to the poem which incorporates one of Tesla’s many interests and/or quotes is included as a heading/footnote and italicised.

EXAMPLE POEM: Chiaroscuro (poetrysoup.com)

Refrain & Repetition

Phoenix sixain (2024)

This is a form of collage poetry—it uses the poet’s own poems as source material. It asks only for honesty and a willingness to revisit one’s own emotional terrain—with fresh eyes, you might decide to give the new poem its own title.

The design:

• Select five consecutive lines from one of your poems—verbatim from a designated poem.
• Construct Line 6 by choosing one word from each of those five lines, in sequence.
• You may optionally include up to two structure words (eg, articles, prepositions, conjunctions) to aid grammatical clarity or poetic flow. You may, also, change the tenses, etc, of the chosen words to facilitate the composition of the 6^th line.
• When structure words are used, Line 6 may extend to a maximum of seven words.
• Rhyme and metre are optional, and syllable count per line is unrestricted.
• Capitalisation and punctuation may be adjusted to suit your final composition.
• OPTIOANAL: At the bottom of your poem, add ‘Inspired by’, followed by the title of your original poem, and the date it was first published.

EXAMPLE POEM: A Woman's Longing (poetrysoup.com)

Specular Fugue poem (2025)

 The Specular Fugue poem (a conceptual poem) was inspired by the Palindrome (Sotades—3^rd century BC) and Specular poem (Julia Copus—early 2000s), and gives these tired forms a new lease of life. 

Definitions:

Fugue: It can be a musical composition or a disturbed state of consciousness. 

specular: (adjective) relating to or having the properties of a mirror.

The design:

In free verse.

• A stanzaic poem in two equal number of lines verses.
• The 1^st stanza may be mundane.
• The 2^nd stanza repeats the lines of the 1^st stanza in exact reverse line order (eg,  the 1^st line of the 2^nd stanza lines up with the last line of the 1^st stanza), BUT not identical in phrasing:

• Each line refracts into fugue, i.e.  an alternative ‘truth’ to the recall of an event.*
• Includes one tether word or phrase from each of the corresponding lines.
• The tenses may be changed to suit the poem, or the semantics, eg, drapes and curtains. 

*It introduces a layer of dissociation: each line in the 2^nd stanza becomes an alternative truth, echoing the fugue state where recall is fragmented, unreliable, or emotionally reshaped.

EXAMPLE POEM: If Memory Serves me Well (poetrysoup.com)

Sonnets

Suzette sonnet (SUZNET) (2021)

The Suzette sonnet, or SUZNET, is a 14-line sonnet (it is NOT stanzaic) consisting of alternating triplets and couplets, concluding with a quatrain.

• Rhyme scheme: aaa bb ccc dd abcd.
• The triplets are iambic pentameter.
• The couplets are iambic hexameter and may include an internal rhyme.
• Concluding with a quatrain in iambic pentameter that summarises the poem in a rhyme scheme set by the triplets and couplets (it is not progressive), i.e. abcd.
• The volta (a turn) is at line 9 OR the couplets may define pivots within the poem.

EXAMPLE POEM: Discord and Peace (poetrysoup.com)

Dandelion sonnet (2024)

This sonnet design was inspired by the Blues sonnet, which is written in iambic pentameter (it does not follow the Blues stanza rhythm). The Dandelion sonnet is stanzaic (in verses).

The design:

• A syllabic 14-line sonnet.
• Decasyllabic (10 syllables per line) throughout.
• Rhyme scheme: aaa; bbb; ccc; ddd; ee.
• A pivot with each triplet is recommended to mark the natural progression of the poem.
• The poem is upbeat and the couplet summarises the poem.

EXAMPLE POEM: Dandelion Suns to Moons (poetrysoup.com)

Meta-Modern

Suzette Swan Arc (2025)

Even though having neither rhyme nor metre, it is not a syllabic verse or free verse variant—it is chiefly non-linear and does not end with a conclusion; elements commonly found in free verse. Whether you wish to call it a poetic form or style of writing is immaterial—it is unique in its approach and taps into the natural instinct of poets.

Let the light in between words (show, don’t tell) and use typography. The purpose is to invite the reader into a prolonged engagement, encouraging reflection and reinterpretation upon each reading.

Writing tip: It is in the poet’s own interest to familiarise themselves with the functions of various punctuation and typographical marks as each conveys a different meaning to the reader.

Design Essentials

• Rejects strict linear progression, instead favouring recurrence and oscillation (a natural back and forth between various elements) throughout.
• Encourages enjambment, creating a natural, sinuous flow.

• Leverages pivotal shifts—perception reframing (eg, objective/subjective) and intuitive fragmentation of words/thoughts.
• Favours short phrases, or single words with emphasis, rather than syllable based lines—where silence carries as much weight as words.
• Thrives on cyclical return, resisting finality with an open-ended finale that insists on continuation that is carefully orchestrated by choice of words/phrases, and not merely by appending an ellipsis.

 EXAMPLE POEM: Seaborne Longing (poetrysoup.com)

Excire (2025)

The invented Excire (a neologism which came about due to a typo) gives the meta-modern poet an alternative to the traditional prosimetrum by combining a vignette and Suzette Swan Arc poem.

 Requirements:

• The one golden rule of a vignette (a type of prose poetry) is that it creates a mood—it does not tell a story. It is usually written in present tense & 1^st person POV. It can be as short as a few lines or as long as flash fiction. NB A vignette is a snapshot in time, dispensing with an introduction and a conclusion commonly found in other short story forms.
• The Suzette Swan Arc is any length, but in balance with the text. It naturally segues from the prose, and it has the signature open-ended finale of the SSA.
• Oscillation between text and verse is desired by revisiting motif, imagery, etc.

 EXAMPLE POEM: The Seat of Truth (poetrysoup.com)

The Fulcrum (2025)

The Fulcrum is a five-line poem that compresses a worldview, habit, or belief into a brief narrative or reflection, then pivots—often abruptly—on a final line that introduces paradox, ambiguity, or philosophical suspension.

Key Features:

• Five lines only.
• Narrative or conceptual setup in lines 1–4.
• Final line as fulcrum—a hinge that reframes or destabilises meaning.
• No resolution—the poem ends in tension, ambiguity, or conceptual tilt.
• Tone: Reflective, restrained, suggestive rather than declarative.

Not a vignette: It does not evoke atmosphere or mood alone—it implies transformation.

Not typical micro poetry: It resists closure and emotional distillation, favouring philosophical ambiguity.

EXAMPLE POEM: Fulcrum (poetrysoup.com)

How to check whether a poetic form is AI resistant:

Where advanced programmes such as Grok 3 OR 4 might produce a fair imitation of the form in question by being technically correct, and even fake emotive prose, it falls flat by lacking the human touch when it comes to the careful design prompts. In other words: there is no substitute for hands on experience. Using the following example to illustrate this point: AI generates a REVIEW – as soulless as a flat-line and without the human reaction.

FOR EXAMPLE

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdFSU8sn3mo

“Listen to the above music by Clara Rockmore performing ‘The Swan’, by Saint-Saëns.  Let this music serve as the elegy—conjured without the touch of a human hand, it offers an eerie, fitting accompaniment to this contest.”

Tip to sponsors: Prompt the AI with the contest description and the design format of your chosen poetic form and generate a couple of examples. This will give you a guideline as to what generative poetry looks like as they are often similar – AIs (never mind which one you use or the time lapse between the examples) are all trained on similar data bases and it spews out cookie cutter slop. It is not paid to think for itself ... ;-)

That is why I don't give feedback anymore on specific poems during contests as some poets have used AI to generate their poems, and therefore, they don't grasp the points made - this has been my experience since mid 2023.

Conclusion

There comes a moment—on the forums, in the comment threads, amid the algorithmic haze—when the poet feels the claustrophobia of sameness. The playlist loops. The prompts repeat. The verse becomes a mirror of a mirror.

To the jaded poet: You are kindly invited to try one or more of the above innovative forms—hopefully they might inspire you to sing again and rise above an ever changing landscape of language and the generative content that has become earworms.

To the sponsor: You are invited to sample these in your own time and I will be happy to answer any questions you might have. You are welcome to use these, and any other of my invented poetic forms as contest prompts, provided that you retain the form name and its unique design format. No, it is not copyrighted, per se, but it falls under Moral Rights.*

Take wing!

Su

*Moral Rights protect the bond between you and your work. They include the right for you to be associated with your work and prevent others from altering your work significantly, i.e. Paternity Right & Integrity Right.

__________________________________________________________________________

List of my Poetic Forms (in date order) & Example Poems

1. Suzette Prime (2012) Verismo (poetrysoup.com)
2. Garland (2012) PICTURE AT POEM
3. AssConZee (2013) [NO EXAMPLE REQUIRED]
4. Suzcrostic (2016) [NO EXAMPLE REQUIRED]
5. The Tesla 3–6–9 (2017) Chiaroscuro (poetrysoup.com)
6. XAXA sonnet (2020) An Evanescent Life - Xaxa Sonnet (poetrysoup.com)
7. The Pirouette (2021) THE PIROUETTE—When East meets West: a marriage of Chinese and Western poetry styles | PoetrySoup.com
8. Phi Poem (2021) Golden Spiral - a Phi Poem (poetrysoup.com)
9. Suzette sonnet (2021) Discord and Peace (poetrysoup.com)
10. Florilegium (2021) Brocken Spectre - a Florilegium Poem (poetrysoup.com)
11. Yclept sonnet (2022) I Dance With Shadows - Yclept Sonnet (poetrysoup.com)
12. Zettie’s sonnet (2022) Dare To Take a Stand - Zettie's Sonnet (poetrysoup.com)
13. Dandelion sonnet (2024) Dandelion Suns to Moons (poetrysoup.com)
14. Phoenix sixain (2024) A Woman's Longing (poetrysoup.com)
15. Suzette Swan Arc (2025) Seaborne Longing (poetrysoup.com)
16. Excire (2025) The Seat of Truth (poetrysoup.com)
17. The Fulcrum Fulcrum (poetrysoup.com)
18. Specular Fugue poem (2025) If Memory Serves me Well (poetrysoup.com)

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