There is something about these simple yet profound three-to-five line, structured poems. Haiku. Tanka. Dodoitsu. Lune. Hay(na)ku. Senryu. Cinquain.

These structured forms help me keep writing. Each one is like another creative experience to anticipate, another gift to unwrap, a new discovery to uncover. I am addicted. It clears my mind. It challenges me in new ways. It unlocks creativity inside me.

I enjoy pairing these types of poems to an image. A photograph, a sketch, a painting — something I can see and picture in my imagination, my protagonist, my reader — living, breathing inside. It helps me to choose my words. It crystallizes the fictional backdrop of these scrawlings. I see new things that previously didn’t exist.

I hope you too, as the reader, can see it in my writing. I hope you can capture the moment I am tong to record. Feel free to request the “blank” image for your own creative muse. I find these images all with creative commons licenses where I can use them freely as inspiration for my next “project.”

I hope you enjoy!

In the comments below, tell me why you love poetry, what your favorite type of poetic form is, or how you come upon the inspiration for your work.