Descort: Poetic Forms
Learn how to write a descort, the French poetic form that intentionally sets about trying to make each line different than the others within the poem.
Recently, I shared 11 French poetic forms on the blog, but there are still many more to share, including today's form: descort!
Descort Poems
The descort differentiates itself from other forms by differentiating its lines from other lines within the poem. That is, the main rule of descort poems is that each line needs to be different from every other line in the poem.
A descort poem has different line lengths, meters, avoids rhyming with other lines, no refrains, and that goes for stanzas as well. In other words, no two lines in a descort should look like each other, and the same could be said for each descort.
Note: This is different than free verse, because even free verse may occasionally have similar line lengths and meter. However, descort is very intentional in its variability.
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Play with poetic forms!
Poetic forms are fun poetic games, and this digital guide collects more than 100 poetic forms, including more established poetic forms (like sestinas and sonnets) and newer invented forms (like golden shovels and fibs).
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Here’s my attempt at a Descort Poem:
Daffodils, by Robert Lee Brewer
Daffodils don’t sway in the breeze or dance along the lane.
Frogs jump; dogs bark; logs sit.
Never ask a question of liars.
Always do whatever someone tells you to never ever do.
Cauliflower crowns.
And dandelion seeds spread in the wind because...
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
