Invented Poetry Forms – The Sepigram

~ Paul Szlosek

Some of you readers with a good memory may recall a post I did last May discussing the Kindku, an invented poetry form inspired by both traditional Japanese forms (like the haiku and tanka) and Found Poetry. Recently one of that form’s creators, Cendrine Marrouat, contacted me to let me know about a brand new form that she invented just this January called the Sepigram, and asked if I might be interested in sharing it with you all. Like I did with the Kindku, I will once again let Cendrine explain the form and its rules in her own words taken from her website Cendrine Marrouat: Visual Poetry of the Mundane:

“The Sepigram is an unlimited poem that follows a “fractal” (or repetitive) pattern. The word is a portmanteau of “seven” + “pi” + “-gram” (‘something written’ or ‘drawing’). The “pi” part refers to the number π (3.14159 rounded up to 3.1416), which is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

Rules:

Each part of the Sepigram contains 14 lines and must be divided into 2 stanzas + 1 concluding line.

Part 1:

L1–1 word
L2–7 words
L3–8 words
L4 — repeat word from L1
L5–7 words
L6–8 words
L7 — repeat word from L1 or use a different word

L8 — repeat word from L1 or use a different word
L9–7 words
L10–8 words
L11 — repeat word from L8
L12–7 words
L13–8 words

L. 14: Use seven words from preceding lines (in any order) to make a sentence.

The poem can end here or continue.

Part 2:

L15 — repeat word from L8
L16–7 words
L17–8 words
L18 — repeat word from L8
L19–7 words
L20–8 words
L21 — repeat word from L8 or use a different word

L22 — repeat word from L15 or use a different word
L23–7 words
L24–8 words
L25 — repeat word from L22
L26–7 words
L27–8 words

L. 28: Use seven words from preceding lines (in any order) to make a sentence.

The poem can end here or continue.

As with all my other forms, sepigrams must feature positive / uplifting elements. A reference to nature is encouraged. For example: season, weather, month, time of the day, etc.

Punctuation and titles are optional.“

Cendrine graciously gave me permission to reprint on this blog the following sepigram she wrote as an example :

Night
came to us in a soft whisper
in the dance of rain at five o’clock.
Night
settled among the embers of our fireplace
like an old friend who knows her place
here.

Day
followed quietly when night forgot to look
an unruly child, we could truly say.
Day
settled in our chairs, bed and kitchen,
bringing smiles on our faces, in our hearts.

Night came, day followed, smiles settled quietly.

© 2022 Cendrine Marrouat

And now, here is my own attempt at writing a seprigram:

During My Daily Constitutional Today (a Seprigram)

Greetings
to the afternoon sun and the flock
of woolly clouds that crowd the sky above.
Greetings
to the silver sliver of the moon
appearing so incongruously in the midst of day.
Greetings,

Salutations
to each stray cat, all the squirrels
scurrying across lawns, clambering up oaks and maples.
Salutations
to people passing by (the strangers
who returned my smile, and the one who didn’t).

Greetings and salutations to one and all!

—Paul Szlosek

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed today’s post on the Sepigram, and will try writing some of your own (if you do and share them on your own blog, please make sure to credit the form to Cendrine and to link back to her website @ https://creativeramblings.com/sepigram/ ).

Published by Paul Szlosek

Paul Szlosek was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts, but currently resides in the nearby metropolis of Worcester. He was co-founder and host of the long-running Poet’s Parlor poetry reading in Southbridge and Sturbridge, as well as a past recipient of the Jacob Knight Award for Poetry. His poems have appeared in various local publications including the Worcester Review, Worcester Magazine, Sahara, Concrete Wolf, and Diner. He’s probably best known in the Worcester poetry community for his fanatical obsession with obscure poetry forms, and has invented his own including the ziggurat, the streetbeatina, and (most recently) the hodgenelle.

31 thoughts on “Invented Poetry Forms – The Sepigram”

  1. Oh yes, I like the looks of that form, Paul, when I see Cendrine and your offerings using it. Will definitely be trying this one out and will be sure to link here and to Cendrine’s website 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. You are very welcome, and thank you, Cendrine! I am so gratedul you alled me to share your fantastic form the sepigram with my readers, and very pleased you liked my own humble effort.

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  11. This is priceless, yes. The Sepigram— will try writing. Share on your own blog. Will definitely give credit to Cendrine with a link back.
    I think I like it already. Thanks, Paul. You rock. 🤗 stay well. xoxo

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
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    1. Thank you so much for your feedback! I do personally agree with you that the form’s “positivity” rule does severely limit its potential, but when I wrote the post I wanted to stay true to the inventor’s original intentions. However I believe, when it comes to writing form poems, it is perfectly okay to disregard any rules as long as you feel disregarding them will make the poem better…

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