Lately I have been exploring the many forms of poetry, both new and old, because sometimes I find it easier to write with a blueprint. Ultimately I intend to try my hand at every form I come across, for the sake of expanding my horizons, though undoubtedly I will use some of them only once. My main resource for this study is a website called Shadow Poetry: A Poet’s Writing Resource. Someone has asked me to share what I am learning, and I’m very happy to do so. So here is my first article about poetry, and I’ve created a new tab in the menu, “About Poetry,” for the express purpose of sharing what I’ve learned.

This first installment is about Japanese poetic forms. There are six that I have come across, and all of them are quite short. Evidently, the Japanese are fond of brevity.

Some characteristics…