The F Word: How to Write a Transversen Poem

| Danna Smith

If you haven’t heard of the Triversen poetic form (aka Verset), you are in for a triple treat! Verset means “in one breath” and Triversen means “three.” This triple verse sentence structure is a poetic form developed by William Carlos Williams (1883-1963) that allows a poet to write about any subject or feeling in a concise format. The basic rules are as easy as 1-2-3:

  1. Each stanza is composed of a single sentence, broken into three lines.
  2. The poem is usually unrhymed.
  3. The entire poem should add up to 18 lines (6 stanzas).

For this form, I decided on the subject of forgiveness after reading this quote by Mark Twain. It’s just so beautiful and if you’ve ever struggled with the idea of forgiving someone, you know how hard it can be. It’s a process.

Here’s the triversen I came up with:

THE F WORD

Forgiveness is a marathon
not quick,
never easy.

It's warming up,
taking the first step
and then another.

It's leaving anger
at the starting block
along with bitterness.

Forgiving is uncomfortable,
like hot sun
on exposed skin.

It's falling
and getting up again,
despite the fatigue.

I'm still running,
I see the finish line ahead,
but I'm not there, not yet.

@Danna Smith at poetrypop.com 
All rights reserved

MORE ABOUT THE FORM

If you’d like to learn about this form in more depth, head on over to my Transversen poetry form page.

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Next week we will have fun with a visual poetry prompt. I’ll provide a photo and write a poem inspired by the image. It’s my hope that it will inspire you to give it a try too!

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