Poetry Dances

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Tetractys

A Tetractys is a short poem made up of 20 syllables. It follows a special pattern that slowly builds up in length — one syllable at a time. The poem can have one or more stanzas, but each new stanza must reverse the pattern (called an inverted Tetractys).

The form often expresses a complete thought in just a few lines. Here’s how the syllable count works:

Line 1:	1 syllable
Line 2:	2 syllables
Line 3:	3 syllables
Line 4:	4 syllables
Line 5:	10 syllables

Examples

Change of Heart

moon (1 syllable)
tonight (2 syllables)
somber light (3 syllables)
subtle to sight (4 syllables)
faint radiance no longer captivates (10 syllables)

- written by arjuna

Trembling Heart

You
Your eyes
Fixed on mine
Piercing my soul
I cannot hide my trembling heart from you.

- written by Lena Borghi

Sleeping Beauty

Prince
Charming
mesmerised
by Beauty's bliss
stole breathless school girls' hearts with just one kiss

- written by ~Dovey

Learn more poetry forms or share your own Tetractys poem on FanStory.

Examples provided by the writers at FanStory.