How to Write a Skeltonic Poem
Skeltonic verse is a form of poetry named after John Skelton, an English writer who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. It consists of short, irregular, rhyming lines, which produce a rapid-fire, tumbling effect. In fact, skeltonics are also known as "tumbling verse."
- Pen and paper or word-processing program
- Rhyming dictionary (optional)
Show More
Instructions
-
-
1
Keep your lines short ---ideally, between 3 and 6 words.
-
2
Rhyme the end word of your first line with each subsequent line --- cat, hat, bat, flat, splat, mat, fat, chat, that, gnat --- until you run out of inspiration.
-
-
3
Switch to a different rhyme --- fall, ball, call, pall, wall, tall, maul, crawl, fall --- and repeat.
-
4
Keep going until you feel that the poem is finished.