Beatnik Brain Exercise

April is poetry month. I was involved at my son's school helping the kids with their diamante poems. I tried a few myself and it was really fun to do, didn't take very long, and was a great brain exercise. In the spirit of April's poetic side, I hope you try one of the following diamante patterns on your own. If you like what you end up with, please share in the comments section!

Diamante means diamond in Italian. This poetic form takes on a diamond shape when completed. Iris Tiedt created this visually interesting style of poetry. There are 2 patterns from which to choose. The first pattern develops one topic only. The second pattern starts with one theme, then changes to an opposite theme in the middle of the poem. The beginning word and ending word are exact opposites.

Like I said, fun to do so pick a pattern and try one out for size. 

Pattern 1
Line 1 Choose a topic (noun)
Line 2 Choose 2 words that describe Line 1 (adjectives)
Line 3 Use 3 action words (verbs or words ending in -ing)
Line 4 Think of a 4-word phrase capturing some feeling about the main topic
Line 5 Use 3 action words, again
Line 6 Choose 2 words that describe, again
Line 7 Use a synonym for the noun in Line 1

Here's what I came up with...

Marriage

Strong, happy

Loving, caring, sharing

We     journey     through     together

Supported, respected, committed

Joyful, impenetrable

Partnership

Pattern 2
Line 1 Choose a topic as the title and its antonym for the final line (noun) 
Line 2 Choose 2 words that describe Line 1 (adjectives) 
Line 3 Use 3 action words  for the title word (verbs or words ending in -ing)
Line 4 Use 2 words to describe the title noun - then hyphen and choose 2 words to describe the final ending noun. The theme changes in this line!
Line 5 Use 3 action words describing the ending noun
Line 6 Choose 2 words that describe the ending noun
Line 7 Use the antonym you choose to the topic in Line 1

Here's what I came up with for Pattern 2...

Lost

Scary, confused

Floundering, wandering, searching

Uncertain outcomes - positive results

Knowing, trusting, believing

Comfortable, peaceful

Found

I can't wait to see what you come up with! Go for it - exercise your brain. I'll be snapping my fingers in applause. Like, cool, man!