A tercet is a group or unit of three lines.  It could be a three-line poem such as a haiku, or it could be a longer poem consisting of several tercets. The three lines of a tercet often rhyme together. Terza Rima is one of the most challenging forms of a tercet. It is composed in iambic pentameter and employees the following rhyme scheme “ABA BCB CDC.”  As you can see from the following poem by Robert Frost, this rhyme scheme has the effect of linking the stanzas together in a rhythmic fashion.

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain – and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

Write a poem using tercets. Don’t worry about getting the form right.

As usual, you can post your poem here if you like. You will need a password. Write to theliterarynest@gmail.com if you need the password.

April 22 is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. It is the anniversary of the birth of the environmental movement in 1970. For decades before Modern industrialization and inefficient automobiles caused poor air quality and smog. Industrial waste piled up. The health effects of this polluted environment went unnoticed for a long time. In 1962, Rachel Carson’s New York Times bestseller Silent Spring was published raising concern for living organisms and the link between the environment and public health.
The question we have to ask ourselves is that have we done enough to protect the environment? Try to express your concerns and ideas for the future of Mother Earth in your poem.

Remember, the prompts are optional. If you want to write about anything else, go ahead.

As usual, you can post your poem here if you like. You will need a password. Write to theliterarynest@gmail.com if you need the password.

A good poem is more than just words. It also sounds pleasant to an ear. But today’s prompt isn’t about the meter or other sound devices in poetry. It’s about the sounds that you have internalized. Certain sounds such as ice-cream truck jungle might transport you back to those warm summer days of your childhood, or a sound of sleigh bells will bring back happy memories of Christmas. Hearing an ambulance siren of a firetruck alarm may bring awful memories if you ever had to encounter these sounds during personal tragedies. Sometimes even the seemingly happy sounds may trigger unhappy memories if those sounds are associated with the sad times in your own life. Think about a sound that either makes you happy or sad or triggers some bittersweet feelings within you. Write a poem about that sound.

As usual, you can post your poem here if you like. You will need a password. Write to theliterarynest@gmail.com if you need the password.