Writing Fibs

by Darla Himeles

Last month, I wrote about the value in breaking out of forms, of tweaking them to keep them interesting and current.  This month, I’d like to introduce you to a little form called the fib.  When we were young, telling or writing fibs was worthy of punishment; with these fibs, there is nothing but satisfaction to be had.

A poet friend introduced me to the fib a couple months ago at a monthly creative gathering we attend.  The beauty of this form is that anyone can write one; all you need is the ability to count to eight and a bit of inspiration.  The fib follows the Fibonacci sequence, a series of numbers illuminating biological processes like the development of leaves on a stem, or the formation of pine combs.  The sequence is of great interest to scientists, musicians, and mathematicians; for the last several decades, it has become increasingly interesting to poets, too, though it has certainly been the base for poems for centuries.

Traditionally, the fib is a six-line poem (or seven, if you count the first line with zero syllables as a recognized pause).  After the zero syllable (non-)line, the lines follow the Fibonacci sequence for their syllable count: 1/1/2/3/5/8. The form is an easy one to quickly write, and it makes for an interesting warm-up exercise.

Here’s a quick one I wrote at that monthly gathering:

Fall

Trees
Bare
Leaves Change
Are Changing
As we look ahead
To another sunny winter

Fibs are great little poems because the form is easy to follow.  The rhythm created by the slow start of single syllables seems to tune the ear, which is why this form makes for an effective writing exercise. Go ahead, try it.  Why not post some in the comments field of this post?  And, for those eager to tweak this form, why not try lengthening it to continue the sequence by a line or two?  Next up is 13 syllables, and then 21!

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Links: Deborah Haar Clark on fibs, Wikipedia on fibs, fibetry, Fibonacci sequence

Tagged as: Darla Himeles