IN-FORM POET – THE ALLITERISEN

/ Poetic Bloomings

The Alliterisen (Complex and Rhyming), is a form created by Udit Bhatia, which is a simple seven-lined poem with a specific syllable pattern and two alliterations per line.

Alliteration is the succession of similar consonant sounds. They are not recognized by spelling, but rather by sounds. For example: Glorious Graves, and wonderful waves.

The syllable structure for the Complex Alliterisen is as follows:

1st line- x syllables
2nd line- x+2 syllables
3rd line- x-1 syllables
4th line- (x+2)-1 syllables
5th line- x-2 syllables
6th line- (x+2)-2 syllables
7th line- x syllables

This allows for infinite syllable sequences.

In the above sample, let’s say your first line has eight (8) syllables:

1st line- 8 syllables
2nd line- 10 syllables
3rd line- 7 syllables
4th line- 9 syllables
5th line- 6 syllables
6th line- 8 syllables
7th line- 8 syllables

The Rhyming Alliterisen consists of 7 lines, with 7 syllables each, and has one alliteration in every line. The rhyme scheme is as follows: aabbccd.

xxxxxxA
xxxxxxA
xxxxxxB
xxxxxxB
xxxxxxC
xxxxxxC
xxxxxxD

Yeah, I know… it’s very regimented. But if we don’t challenge ourselves we don’t improve! Give it a try.

MARIE ELENA’S  RHYMIN’RISEN:

A MUDDLED INTERMINGLING

Miss Little Libby Loudly
Adds deaf’ning discourse proudly
While Weensy Willie Whisper’s
A calmly quiet lisper.
Then enter Mugsy Mumbles
And grumpy Gertrude Grumbles-
Inspire intermingling.

WALT’S COMPLEX ALLITERISEN:

LOVE’S LONGING

Assured, I stand in silent shadows,
wildly wondering about a love lost.
In my mind she is an angel;
in my heart of hearts, she belies beauty.
Her hand, softly sensual,
and tender touches tell her tale.
My dream is daunting; love languishes.

129 thoughts on “IN-FORM POET – THE ALLITERISEN”

  1. Here’s an alliterisen I made earlier, to a different recipe. I’ll try out your forms when I’ve eaten.

    Alliterisen

    7 lines of 7 syllables, 1 alliteration each line, rhyme: aa bb cc d

    Acronym and antonym,
    pseudonym and synonym,
    phonetic and frenetic
    are partially poetic.
    Rhyme and rhythm conjugate
    – one which we should contemplate –
    when blasted rules bamboozle.

    Marie, I think we’re on the same wavelength with this kind of form! Walt: yours is just gorgeous!

  2. Elena, Walt, and vivinfrance–SO impressive! The rhyming ones seem to lend themselves more to the whimsical, while the complex has such a beautiful cadence! I’ll have to try this!

  3. Complex Alliterisen ( I hope)

    Fastidiousness his strong strength
    Can soon become a guy’s glaring weakness
    Efficient, he designs day
    Relationships written in with pen
    She disrupts his schedule
    His to- do list lambasted, so
    Tomorrow two lists are his plan.

    Many blooms go to Walt and Marie for stretching us and giving us great examples. I have been schizophrenic since my first sestina attempt, but decided to jump in and try a new one. Have to admit, it was fun.

  4. Complex, Yes! Meg, I can see yours on a television screen, in full color animation. Walt… beauty in words stunning.

  5. Loved yours, Marie and Walt! You breathed life into those scary rhyme patterns and syllable counts.
    Here’s my far from perfect, but heartfelt, attempt:

    ~ A Love Note ~

    First time I saw you – what a sweet surprise!
    Who would have thought? – love’s lit, and paradise
    Was promised. How could I walk away?
    No, impossible, for on that dreamy day
    I knew ‘twas it: I fin’lly found
    The one. Heart of hearts where blessings abound –
    My very own home, my beautiful house!

  6. ON GOOD TEACHING

    Blessed hous in the English department D,
    Mrs. Petersen lecturing Postwar Poetry.
    She had worlds’s of wisdom go through our minds
    so humbly honouring poets of different kinds.
    From up above she performed James Joyce
    speaking in Irish and keeping up his voice.
    She suddenly stopped and said: Sorry, what war are we talking?

  7. Sorry, I got mixed up in the math part. Here it is again, only I fixed the last line.

    ON GOOD TEACHING

    Blessed hous in the English department D,
    Mrs. Petersen lecturing Postwar Poetry.
    She had worlds’s of wisdom go through our minds
    so humbly honouring poets of different kinds.
    From up above she performed James Joyce
    speaking in Irish and keeping up his voice.
    She suddenly stopped, wondering: What war?

    • Hmn, I should have fixed “hours” and “worlds” too – I’m so lucky to have the world’s best editor to help me. I will not paste the corrected edition – only I don’t hope my mistakes ruin your impression too much. What a great lesson!

  8. The Rhyming Alliterisen consists of 7 lines, with 7 syllables each, and has one alliteration in every line. The rhyme scheme is as follows: aabbccd.
    xxxxxxA
    xxxxxxA
    xxxxxxB
    xxxxxxB
    xxxxxxC
    xxxxxxC
    xxxxxxD
    “The Gift”

    A feast from God’s rose garden
    Beauty melts a heart hardened
    My soul sups the petals warm
    A love learned as the bees swarm
    Sweetly surprised, hungry eyes,
    Now tenuous tears standby
    Grasping the gift to my breast.

  9. DuckTales
    (Complex Alliterisen)

    Donald Duck loved chicken chow mein
    Glittering Goldie gulped Coca Cola
    Daisy Duck downed Krispy Kreme’s
    Doofus Drake desired Dunkin Donuts
    Glomgold’s greed good as gold
    Gyro Gearloose concocts chaos
    Gladstone Gander gifted gambler

  11. Pingback: IN-FORM POET – THE ALLITERISEN « cloudfactor5

    • Connie, I also wondered why anybody would write x that way – only it’s so interesting. Especially considering modern poetry because people write the most incredible things to get my attention.

      • I did too, guys. I was even a wiseguy and asked Walt if this was Bhatia’s idea of a joke. 😉

        Marie Elena

          • Walt’s reply was this. We offer varying forms for our poets to try. If you never use the form outside of PB, at least you have a working knowlege of the form. It is a learning tool and no one is required to write to the form. But if you challenge yourselves, Marie agreed to make cookies for all attempting poets… 😉

  13. Powerful Puny Package

    Whispered or shouted it’s most manageable.
    It’s not only small but brilliantly intangible.
    When entered into humble human ears,
    it can produce changes and calm ferocious fears.
    And floating up to God’s gracious heart,
    on the impossible, it can give you a sound start.
    The famous, fabulous four-letter word, “Help!”

    • Earlier – I posted a reply – but I think it flew the coop!

      ….The famous, fabulous four-letter word, “Help!”

      This is such an important word to hear and to learn to voice.

  14. Vindicate those vicious words
    Wasted on willed thoughts absurd
    An error etched in white bones
    Jingle, jangle jaded stones
    Sticky tar and bitter taste
    Stored forever, mindful waste
    Why not wait? Just subjugate.

    Sorry there’s no title. Any ideas?

  15. Okay, I chickened out and tried the Rhyming Alliterisen, for now. Though I think I may be a bit of a “Rhyming Illiterate” instead. 😉 I hope I’ve done this right.

    Alert, Risen

    She wakes, wooed wild by word whims,
    Sows scattered seeds to the wind.
    Some will flourish, fly, far-flung,
    Some will sit, sigh, silence sung.
    But all will beat bald bruised wings,
    Rise, remember richer things
    And raise eyes to hope above.

    • Good job – I think the rhyming one is more challenging that than complex. Guess I should have a go at it.

  16. Meg, I LOVE your silly! Libby and Willie and Mugsy and Gertrude make me smile!

    Walt, this line is stunning: “and tender touches tell her tale.” Beautiful piece.

    • Thanks De! I think they’d make cute characters in a silly children’s story. I’ve used Libby and Willie in a children’s poem that has so far not been accepted for publication anywhere.

      Marie Elena

  17. Pingback: Alert, Risen | Whimsygizmo's Blog

  18. Oopsie. Missed an allit in the last line. Please excuse quick repost.

    Alert, Risen

    She wakes, wooed wild by word whims,
    Sows scattered seeds to the wind.
    Some will flourish, fly, far-flung,
    Some will sit, sigh, silence sung.
    But all will beat bald bruised wings,
    Rise, remember richer things
    And ease eyes to hope above.

  19. PS: Is it “one alliteration” per line, or “at least one alliteration per line?”
    Results here vary, and I like both. Just wondering official form rule. Thanks. 🙂

    • Good question, De. I took it as “at least,” but that’s not actually how it is stated. Hmmm…

      Marie Elena

      • It appears as Walt had mentioned, the Complex variant uses a double alliteration. The Rhyming version only requires one alliteration within a seven syllable line?

  20. Marie I love the whimsical fun nature of yours. Delightful to read.

    Walt Well done good concetration on beat and words.

  21. 8-10-7-9-6-8-8-
    ALLIERISEN – The repetition of use
    of initial consonant sound in two or
    more neighboring words

    Time again to till the trenches
    Hoe, haul as we make rows some straight, some smooth
    picking out those perfect plants
    thinking out how much of this then that
    so we can start sowing
    waiting for some sprouting seedlings
    to grow long-side the wicked weeds.

  23. ~A Single Speck~

    A pummeling power spills sand,
    grains are smoothed swiftly by rush and retreat.
    Fleeing flecks shimmer and shine,
    eternal embrace of wooing wave.
    Graceful glance slanted scape,
    beach begets hearts of happiness;
    masterfully made single speck.

    © Hannah Gosselin 5/30/12

  24. I thought this was really tough to make something natural sounding from this form. I have to hand it to you poets … you are all absolutely amazing. Truly.

    Marie Elena

  25. Pingback: ~A Single Speck~ « Metaphors and Smiles

  26. A Novel Worth Noting

    Wonderful words spun together
    by masterful hands hovering over
    keys, clicking characters in
    place. Plot races at breathless, breakneck
    speed, shifting sleep to far
    cavernous corners of the mind
    to deeply devour the novel.

    • Well crafted Lynn. It has a smooth flow and paintsquite a picture and seems to adhere to the form. Bravo!! Clap, clap/

  28. just a thought but aren’t the “x”s just to remind the poets to use as much alliteration as possible without coming out and saying that every line?

    • “X” represents the number of syllabils in a given line.

      If your first line has 6 Syllables x=6
      Second line would be x+2 —> 6+2=8 syllabes
      3rd line x-1 ———————> 6-1=5 syllables
      4th line (x+2)-1—————–> (6+2)-1=7 syllables
      5th line x-2 ——————–> 6-2= 4 syllables
      6th line x————————> 6 syllables
      7th line x ———————-> 6 syllables

      Syllable counts per line would be 6-8-5-7-4-6-6

      Compare that with the example Walt did at the beginning of the prompt – that started with x=8. giving [8-10-7-6-8-8]

      .

      • CORRECTION Walt’s example x=8
        syllable count would be 8-10-7-9-6-8-8
        Sorry 😦 I appoligize to line four.

  29. (Cont. from above post because I am to long winded for one post)

    x could actually be any number greater than 2. Once the first line number of syllables is established (i.e what ‘x’ is) then follow the x plus or minus for each aditional line as layed out above.

    The alliterations are a seperate issue as demonstrated by the Rhyming one which specified 7 syllables per line, but also a rhyming schedule and the alleration(s) in every line.

    Both limited to seven lines and one set (or more ) of the alliterations per line

  30. IF MY UNDERSTANDING ( AND EXPLINATION) OF THIS FORM IS WRONG –
    PLEASE CORRECT ME ASAP. 🙂
    THANKS. mmt

  31. X has to be at least 4 or line 5 will not work for alliteration

    x=4 [4-6-3-5-2-4-4]

    Just jump with joy
    do a deep doe-se-doe
    scoop score to
    beat the brass band and
    love lights
    of firery flame
    in flip-flop fun.

    • OK – if Complex Allit’ has to have two Allit’s per line than ‘x’ has to be minimually 6 ( I appoligize to you who do not take kindly to math…math and numbers is just there with me.)

      • x=4 [4-6-3-5-2-4-4] x=6 [6-8-5-7-4-6-6]

        Just jump with jingle joy
        dip down do a deep doe-se-doe
        stop soon to scoop score
        and by beating the brass band
        let love lights lift
        with fast full firery flame
        in final flip-flop fun

  32. Thanks Amy, Connie, Marjory, Marie Elena, Janet and De for helping me getting this right. Pew!
    I can’t help it. Here I go again because this poem has been haunting me – I simply needed to get it right (there was a Mrs. Petersen and she would have loved this).
    And Marie Elena, I think it’s so funny that you and Walt had so many people sit there counting their syllable fingers accompanied by strange consonant sounds in order to make some sense out of this structure. And like Marie Elena, I’m so impressed. What amazing results.

  33. ON GOOD TEACHING

    Blessed hours in the English department D,
    Mrs. Petersen lecturing Postwar Poetry.
    Worlds of wisdom wandering through our minds
    so soundly honouring poets of different kinds.
    From up above she performed James Joyce
    saying something sad in Irish in his voice.
    Suddenly she stopped and just wondered: What war?

  34. Ok here is my Rhymer.

    Summer days relentless run
    Beneath the sharp shining sun
    Where rippling reflecting rays
    Shine through the waffling heat waves
    ‘or road that is dark bleak band
    Rimmed with soft gray shifting sand
    The dreary daunting desert.

  35. PLEASE MARIE AND WALT, no double sestina. I am still a little shizy from my one attempt at writing a sestina.

  36. oops, that is supposed to read schizy, like schizophrenic. I probably have other problem too if we attempt a double. Lol.

  37. This was a real challenge! Hope I got it! Kudos to all you poets who’ve attempted this form!

    Nature’s Music (Complex Alliterisen)

    Serenity surrender to restless ruminations
    I return to the feral forest where rests make music’s metre
    Wooden sun bleached boards carry me through sighing Cypress
    Moments and measures play longer by the cadence of the creek
    Waterstriders wade like tiny persons paddling
    Raucous red bellied woodpecker spies russet red tailed hawk
    Bullfrogs burp; spring beauties blush. Senses soar like swallowtails.

  38. Pingback: Desperately Seeking Scotland «        Say Aye to The Heart

    • Desperately Seeking Scotland

      Yon bonnie banks heal my hardened heart,
      as wistful wonder brings me back to my home.
      Having had traveled to places,
      familiar faces serve to soothe my soul.
      It takes its toll. This grand goal
      really refreshes a world wide fool.
      Spirits soar when the Highland hills call.

  39. “Flying With My President”

    I’m feisty fly, Aethelred.
    Flew, in full view, overhead.
    Boarded with buzzed credentials;
    bugged baggage incidentals.
    Gained seat in gourmet kitchen.
    Chef listens to my friction
    Swat! I’m Dead-Red-Swaggering…

  41. “Big Cat”

    Your power, a panther glazed
    in fervid fever, amazed
    only by cheap challenge–games
    of bilk and brawn played to tame
    scavengers bent on torn knees
    to you. Do you yearn to tease
    or slaughter the simpleton?

  42. Self Sacrifice
    (A Complex Alliterisen)

    Give gladly and sing softly.
    Whispered words of a tormented truth
    tell tales of daunted deeds.
    Vivid visions of flaming fire
    give grace a rude run.
    Real rest on cotton clouds is
    still steeped in self sacrifice.

    ~~~

    Out of the Box
    (A Rhyming Alliterisen)

    Float or sink or slowly swim?
    A prickly pear consumed him,
    speeding seconds, ticking clocks,
    driving days out of the box.
    Many more the wise man said,
    focused firmly on his bed,
    seeking sun forever more.

    ~~~

    Glorious Goals
    (A complex and Rhyming Alliterisen)

    Finding faith as daylight dissolves.
    Holiness happens but evil evolves.
    Working wonders while mad men
    start moving mountains and light lamps then
    day dream glorious goals.
    Gifts granted to the seeking souls.
    Jealousy jabs thru soft shadows.

    By Michael Grove

  43. Memorial (In-Form-The Alliterisen)

    His wife, her face faded now,
    stands silently, keeps her vow.
    Eyes engage the reflecting pool
    at new building’s base, a tool
    she says, to show our power–
    a taller, tougher tower.
    She sees only his young face.

  44. Well, this form is a challenge, alright! Here’s mine, finally:

    Rainy Night Surprise

    Wakening in wee hours
    harkening, hears no showers.
    Delicate glow breaks the gloom,
    spills on the bed, bathes the room.
    Beckoned from sleep by the sight,
    slips from the dark in delight,
    basks in the light of la Lune.

  45. Whew, this is DIFFICULT! Here’s my rhyming alliterisen. I attempted a complex alliterisen as well, but realized too late that I had only included one alliteration per line. 😦 Oh well, I’ll have to try again sometime.

    Pretty Please (A Rhyming Alliterisen)

    Pretty please, would you just leave?
    I need time to groan and grieve.
    I wearily wish for time
    As anything but a mime
    Who smiles, silly, and ignores
    All life’s sufferings and sores.
    Would you just leave, pretty please?

    • Nicely done …especially like the first and last lines.

      With you on the one vs two allit’ in complex. Wrote mine before I read about the double. 😦

  46. Pingback: “Pretty Please” « A Particle of Difference

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