Trimeric Verse Form

This form was invented by Dr. Charles A. Stone (which seems to be a pseudonym), a retired professor, a poet, and an entrepreneur. Dr. Stone has published poetry in many journals and anthologies and published three nonfiction books. Check out his books HERE.

The Trimeric (tri-(meh)-rik) is a short poem of just thirteen lines. It has four stanzas, consisting of a quatrain (four lines), and three tercets (three lines).

While there is no rhyme or syllable count, and the lines can be however long or short you want to make them, the tercets each start with a refrain. Line 2 of the first verse becomes the first line of the second verse; line 3 of the first verse becomes the first line of the third verse, and line 4 of the first verse becomes the first line of the fourth verse.

Without a syllable count I can’t really do a schematic, but the endings of the first verse would be a-b-c-d. and the following verses would begin b * *, c * *, d * *

It takes a little more thought than the forms I’ve been offering lately, but I found it to be just as much fun. This is a great form for anyone who doesn’t like a strict rhyme and rhythm format.


Life is fueled by dreaming things
Ask the trees, they’ll tell you the truth
The stars dance to their own tune
While the world continues to spin

Ask the trees, they’ll tell you the truth
They’ve been here from the beginning
And their knowledge is vast

The stars dance to their own tune
Cosmic music only they can hear
Eternal in its beauty

While the world continues to spin
The rest of the universe grows old
Entropy always wins