Fibonacci Rules
I?
I
do
not
think
that form
poetry is a less
valid expression of true
emotion or insight than vers libre poems,
do you? There is a symmetry
to it. Fibonacci
makes our
poems
fit
to
a
t
#89
Fibonacci – the sum of the number of letters in the last two lines equals the number of letters in the next line (I also reversed this). So start with 0 and 1, 0+1=1, 1+1=2, 2+1=3, 3+2=5 etc….(1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21…)
Linda Studley 
Reading this reminded me of one I wrote in the fall of ’73
View from a Braille Bump
There is a wind from the southeast
causing a great cold melancholy
in the trees of the boulevards
in the faces of the people
I do not think it is just a sign of winter.
Draw a line, any line and anyone can
make a thousand words of it.
Write a word, any word and…
Leap
Leaping
Leapingly
Touched
Upon
By
Blind
Hands
I was feeling haunted in those days.
Wow, cool poem Michael. Really intriguing concept.
This is good! — but what about doing it with syllables instead of letters? I think that’s be even cooler. 😉
Sounds like a challenge! I’ll see what I can come up with! 🙂
Good one! I agree with the sentiments that, by imposing form-constraints on yourself, it does not stifle the liberating quality of composing free verse. Indeed, I’ve found that it can open up areas of creativity and ideas that you wouldn’t have otherwise discovered . I’ve loved Dylan Thomas’s ‘Do Not Go gentle…’ for years but hadn’t realised, until somebody told me, that it’s a villanelle.
Aha! That’s my challenge to you… Write a villanelle!
Tony
One of my favourites too, Tony! I think ‘Do Not Go Gentle…’ is just about the epitome of what a villanelle should and can be. I’ve tried my hand at villanelles and enjoyed its possibilities. I guess that’s the trick to writing with forms – seeing what is usually considered a constraint as a challenge to dig deeper, craft more carefully, and make each word count.