How to write a Diamante Poem – Free Poetry Writing Workshop

Poetry Writing Workshop Difficulty Rating - Easy

 

The diamante, or diamond poem, is a poetic form made up of 6 lines, using only 13 words and it forms the shape of a diamond. The poem starts with one subject as its theme and this flips to a different subject, the exact opposite of the starting subject, to end the poem. The diamante poem is a modern style of poetry, developed by Iris Tiedt in the 1960s. It can be written on any theme.

The diamante poem’s structure is as follows:

Line 1 – One noun

Line 2 – Two adjectives or synonyms of the first noun

Line 3 – Four words, two are usually present participles (ending in –ing) of the first noun, the other two are usually present participles of the exact opposite

Line 4 – Three adjectives of the opposite of the first noun

Line 5 – Two present participles of the opposite of the first noun

Line 6 – One noun, which is the opposite of the noun used in line one

To make the diamond shape centre the poem.

Example of a diamante poem:

 
                                                                       Sun
                                                                Bright, Warm
                                               Heating, Dazzling, Lighting, Glowing
                                                           Cold, Dark, Distant
                                                             Waxing, Waning
                                                                     Moon.

Challenge yourself by writing several diamante poems that create one large poem, using each diamante as a stanza. It then becomes harder in difficulty rating and is a twist on classic forms that also use this technique, such as a Renga.

© Copyright Lynsey Evans, Book a Poet Ltd. www.bookapoet.co.uk.