Oddquain is a short, usually unrhymed poem consisting of seventeen syllables distributed 1, 3, 5, 7, 1 in five lines, developed by Glenda L. Hand.

Oddquain variations:

oddquain sequences - poems made up of oddquain stanzas

crown oddquains - a five stanza oddquain sequence

reverse oddquains - a oddquain with a reverse syllable pattern of 1-7-5-3-1

mirror oddquains - a two stanza oddquain sequence of the pattern 1-3-5-7-1 1-7-5-3-1

oddquain butterflies - a “merged mirror oddquain” where the two stanzas of a mirror oddquain are merged together, one of the middle 1 syllable lines is dropped, resulting in one nine line stanza of the form 1-3-5-7-1-7-5-3-1. Please note that a oddquain butterfly is not a “oddquain” because it doesn’t have five lines, but it is “butterfly” made up of two oddquains that were merged together into one poem.

Example #1:

Autumn

Fall
leaves floating
downward, spiral dance 
of joy begun, welcoming
fall. 

Copyright © 2006 Glenda L. Hand

Example #2:

September 11, 2006

Hope
remains after disaster 
bonding together
past the pain.
Love

Copyright © 2006 Glenda L. Hand

Example #3:

Cards

Cards
Game of chance
Can be played alone
As a game of solitaire
Deal

Copyright © 2006 Cynthia Kay Armstrong

Example #4:

Change of Seasons (Mirror Oddquain)

Breeze
bites with cold
bitter now after 
summer's warmth has fled away--
fall
breeze
spirals gold and red leaves
mixed into colored 
carpet, new
day. 

Copyright © 2006 Glenda L. Hand

Example #5:

Celebration (Butterfly Oddquain)

Child 
dances in
September's swirl  of
leaves, golden colors form her
skirt
of dazzling freedom, twirling 
into the final
fall to earth's
arms

Copyright © 2006 Glenda L. Hand

Example #6:

At Last I’ve Let Go (Crown Oddquain)

Love
happiness
once full of colour
now shards of disappointment
~fool~

Prized
feelings crushed
beneath tumbled words
washed out with twilight raindrops 
~gone~

Pause 
for much thought
and straightforwardness
shilly-shallying cut short
~stop~ 

A 
colourful
chalk, smudged to nothing
curtain call on future dreams
~lost~


The 
scented rains
that watered my soul
 no longer wreaks disorder
~glad~ 

Copyright © 2006 Claire Litchfield