Specific poem formats
A SUMMER OTTAVA RIMA
The crash of waves is always in the air,
And caravans adorn the crowded shore.
People roast on towels without a care,
Or find new rocky outcrops to explore.
Crunchy crystal sand grows too hot to bear,
Yet we stay: it’s what all Aussies yearn for!
In summertime, this is our golden place;
Then winter comes and banishes all trace.
James Aitchison
THE OTTAVA RIMA is a very rhythmic form of Italian poetry, first written in the fourteenth century.
Lord Byron and William Butler Yeats also used the form.
The rules:
Have fun!
so many winners
running
into the wind
summer twilight
kangaroos boxing
on the golf course
A SEASONAL TELESTITCH
The end of cold days:
Farewell! Adieu!
The sun rises warm
But expect a quick storm,
Then catch a wave —
It’s my kind of weather!
The sunsets glow red
Across Australia,
We’re all on holiday —
The best of all times!
James Aitchison
TELESTITCH
A telestitch is the opposite of an acrostic. Discover the poem’s hidden message by reading the last letter (rather than the first) of each line.
Give it a try
And most of all — have fun!
O FOR AN OCTOPUS
O is for Octopus
looking Ornery,
wearing an Orchid,
not so Ordinary!
Eating their Oranges
while they Occupy
Orbiting Organs,
look at those Octopi!
Australian Children’s Poetry 