01. Ballads: - These are long songs that teach a moral lesson. e.g Hasana’s Lover by Paul Edwards and, In the Ghetto by Elvis Presley.
IN THE GHETTO
As the snow flies
On a cold and grey Chicago morning
A poor little baby child is born in the ghetto.
And his mama cries.
Because if there’s one thing she doesn’t need
It’s another little hungry mouth to feed
In the ghetto.
And, people, don’t you understand?
A child needs a helping hand.
He’s going to be an angry young man someday.
Take a look at you and me.
Are we too blind to see?
Do we simply turn our heads and look the other way?
Well, the world turns.
And a hungry little boy with a runny nose
Plays in the street as the cold wind blows
In the ghetto.
And his hunger burns.
So he starts to roam the streets at night
And he learns how to steal and he learns how to fight.
In the ghetto.
Then one night in desperation
The young man breaks away.
He buys a gun, steals a car,
Tries to run but be doesn’t get far
And his mama cries.
As the crowd gathers round.
An angry young man lies face down in the street
With a gun in his hand
In the ghetto.
And as her young man dies,
On a cold and grey Chicago morning
Another little baby child is born in the ghetto.
And his mama cries.
- Elvis Presley.
02. Ode: -
These are long poems that will address a person, an object, situation, event, (eg Independence Day), place (eg. Stonehedge, grave yard, etc) etc. All national Anthems are Ode poems, because they address the object called a country/nation.
03. Epics:
These are long poems that tell (narrate and describe) the deeds of great men, things, etc. For example: David Rubadiri’s poem. Stanley meets Mutesa
04. Alyric: -
A short emotional poem (expresses strong emotions) normally of Love. For example; the traditional Akan poem: The poor mother.
THE POOR MOTHER
Another mother wishes you were hers
But you are mine.
She wants to nurse you on her gorgeous rug.
She wishes you are hers,
To lay on her rug of caned – hair
But you are mine, to lay, on my poor ragged mat.
She wishes you were hers but you are mine.
(Traditional Akan)
THE SNAKE 
Neither legs nor arms have I
But I crawl on my belly
And I have
Venom, venom, venom!
Neither horns nor hoofs have I
But I spit with my tongue
And I have
Venom, venom, venom!
Neither bows nor guns have I
But I flash fast with my tongue
And I have
Venom, venom, venom!
Neither radar nor missiles have I
But I stare with my eyes
And I have
Venom, venom, venom!
I master every movement
For I jump, run, swim
And I spit
Venom, venom, venom!
- John Mbiti
05. Epitaph: These are writings (poems) on peoples graves: For example;
EPITAPH ON CHARLES THE SECOND
Here lies our sovereign Lord the King,
Whose word no man relies on,
Who never said a foolish thing
Nor ever did a wise one.
- John Wilmot.
EPITAPH
The poem in the rock and
The poem in the mind
Are not one
It was in dying
I tried to make them so.
- R.S. Thomas
EPITAPH ON A PESSMIST
I’m Smith of stoke, aged sixty – odd,
I’ve lived without a dame
From youth – time on; and would to God
My dad had done the same.
- Thomas Hardy.
ON THE DEATH OF SIR A. MORTON’S WIFE
He first deceased – she, for a little, tried
To live without him, liked it not and died.
- Henry Wotton.
LATHER AS YOU GO
Beneath this slab
John Brown is stowed.
He watched the ads,
And not the road.
- Ogden Nash.
MATTHEW BIRD
I, the Reverend Matthew Bird,
Preacher of God’s Holy Word,
Taking leave of aisle and Pew,
Go to find how much is true.
- L.A.G. STRONG
EPITAPH ON A TYRANT.
Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after,
And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;
He knew human folly like the back of his hand,
And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;
When he laughed, respectable Senators burst with laughter,
And when he cried the little children died in the streets.
- W.H. Auden (England)
Example of a Limerick.
There was an old man with a beard,
Who said, “It is just as I feared! –
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!”
- Edward Lear.
ON A TIRED HOUSEWIFE
Here lies a poor woman who was
always tired,
She lived in a house where help
wasn’t hired;
Her last words on earth were ‘Dear
friends, I am going
To where there’s no cooking, or
washing, or sewing.
For everything there is exact to my
wishes,
For where they don’t eat there’s no
washing of dishes.
I’ll be where loud anthems will
always be singing,
But having no voice I’ll be quit of
the singing.
Don’t morn for me now, don’t
mourn for me never,
I am going to do nothing for ever
and ever!’
(Anon)
06. Sonnets: - These are poems of 14 lines. They have three distinct parts. That is, Introduction, explanation and summary/conclusion in the heroic couplets. For example; all Shakespeare’s short poems. That is Shakespearian Sonnets. Other types are Petrarchan Sonnets. Sperceran Sonnets and Mitonic Sonnet.
Much will be said in depth about these Sonnets when we handle poems structure/form.
07. Elegy: - This is a sad poem that will talk about death or when people are depressed. E.g.
Elegy for Alto by Christopher Okigbo (Nigeria),
The Slave by Bonus Zimunya (Zimbabwe)
THE SLAVE
Every where I look
Every where I look
Every time I think
I am a slave.
This ford Biscayne
This girl inside Afro
This St. Mark Suit
The tempest stereo
The Suzuki guitar
This camera.
The shoes
The wedding cake
The job in the plan
The millionaire
That footballer
This film star
All live in my head
All too near
And too far from my reach
Lord, I wish too much
Want too much
For the mind
In this gourd
Of a head
And gain too little
To escape this haunting slavery.
- Bonus Zimunya (Zimbabwe)
08. Rhymes (Nursery rhymes) – These are very musical poems. For example:
(A) Jack and Jill
Went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his heel
And Jill came tumbling after.
(B) Tick a Tack ta
Tick a tack tuu
This is the way
We make a shoe.
09. 
Acrostic/Acronstics: These are very musical (song like) poem. The first letters of the given line will be used to form a sentence. E.g
Acrostic/Acronstics: These are very musical (song like) poem. The first letters of the given line will be used to form a sentence. E.g a) Sweet, Sweet, Sweet
Opolot, I love you
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b) David, Daniel, Douglus
You
A are all my good good
Darlings.
Dyad refers to friends.
10. Limerick.
This is a short humerical and ironical five lined nonsensical poem. E.g. On the tired housewife
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11. Diamites:
These are poems that look like Diamonds in shape
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12. Altar: This poem looks like an altar or a cross.
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