Skip to content

Espinela: Poetic Forms

Poetic Form Fridays are made to share various poetic forms. This week, we look at the espinela, a Spanish poetic form.


Espinela Poems

The espinela is a Spanish poetic form with two stanzas and four end rhymes across 10 lines. It’s named after poet Vincente Espinel, who is credited with inventing it. Here are the guidelines:

  • First stanza has four lines.
  • Second stanza has six lines.
  • Eight syllables per line.
  • Rhyme scheme is abba/accddc.

If it feels like you’ve heard these rules and tried an espinela before, it’s likely that you have (on this very blog even). That’s because this form is also known as a decima! The only difference I’ve noticed between the rules on that post and this one is that we break up the 10 lines into two stanzas instead of one.

*****

Build an Audience for Your Poetry tutorialBuild an Audience for Your Poetry!

While your focus as a poet will always be on refining your craft, why not cultivate a following along the way? With the multitude of social networking opportunities available today, it’s never been easier to connect with other poetry enthusiasts. Within minutes, you can set up a blog and share your poems and insights with like-minded readers.

Discover how to expand your readership and apply it to your poetry sharing goals today!

Click to continue.

*****

Here’s my attempt at an espinela:

sweet sorrow, by Robert Lee Brewer

i want to let her remember
but i can’t make anyone care
about an old picture or chair
that represent past decembers

our shared lives are now just embers
glowing hot but not much longer
for she thinks i’ve somehow wronged her
or maybe it is just the world
and our shared past has just unfurled
in a way that just grows stronger

The post Espinela: Poetic Forms by Robert Lee Brewer appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Published inUncategorized

52 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.