Friday 22 May 2015

The Delighful Diamante

Diamante, from the French for diamond, is a poem shaped like a lozenge or diamond.  The form was introduced by Iris Tiedt in 1969 in A New Poetry Form:  The Diamante.  The diamante can be the focus of two opposite subjects, like war and peace, or two synonyms, like bike and car.  It is seven lines in length and follows the following pattern:

Line 1:  subject (noun)
Line 2:  two words describing line 1 (adjectives)
Line 3:  three words describing line 1 (verbs)
Line 4:  a short phrase about line 1; a short phrase about line 7 (nouns)
Line 5:  three words re line 7 (verbs)
Line 6:  two words describing line 7 (adjectives)
Line 7:  end subject (noun)

Here is an example from the website https://www.youngwriters.co.uk/types-diamante-poem:

Bike
Shiny, quiet,
Pedalling, spinning, weaving
Whizzing round corners, zooming along roads
Racing, roaring, speeding
Fast, loud
Car






The following example, War and Peace, contains antonyms rather than synonyms at http://www.poetrysoup.com/poems/best/diamante:

war
violent, deadly
confusing, damaging, suffering
armament, strategy, dialogue, harmony
forgiving, respecting, understanding
mental, spiritual
peace





This example, Orphaned, is near and dear to my heart:

Orphaned
Abandoned, Afraid
Losing, Longing, Lacking
Always Alone, Forever Home
Lasting, Loving, Lavishing
Chosen, Secure
Adopted




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