How do you use poetic forms?

I want my poems to leave you with something, a reflection, a reminder of something you already knew, or the possibility of new perspective. In doing so, I might use strict poetic forms or variations. Please, just try to keep an open mind. Remember that poetry, for me, is a way of being: Being poetry. It goes beyond the written word, so meaning is of great significance to me.

I use poetic forms in a variety of ways. For that reason, if you intend to analyze a poetic form I choose, you should be aware that I might make some slight variations from the original form. For example, suppose the poetic form I choose requires a iambic pentameter, such as the sonnet. In this case, I could variate it to a headless iambic pentameter but also make an exception in one or two lines.

I could also choose not to follow the number of syllables required on a certain form. I might approximate or simply ignore the rule altogether, although the poem follows the same rhyme scheme required. For example, a rondelet requires certain counts (4, 8, 4, 8, 8, 8, 4 syllables) per line. I might not follow these, but I would retain the rhyme pattern (AbAabbA). I could also do it the other way around, that is, I could ignore the rhyme pattern but retain the number of syllables required. I could even do a mix of both.

Why would I do this? First of all, I do it because I favor meaning over form. Also, it is refreshing to create variations of a form. These variations might sound successful, but perhaps not. Nonetheless, keep in mind that one of my purposes is to allow poetic experimentation. These experiments might perhaps not appear to be so radical, but again there is a primordial purpose to that, meaning. So, please take this into consideration while reading and analyzing my use of poetic form.

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