This form of poetry is dedicated to three people at this site
haikumonk (teacher of the haiku class here) DementedSonneteer (the teacher of the sonnet class here) & Mr Greenleaf (who helped me brainstorm the form to be used). I created this form for my love of penning both sonnets and haiku and thought about a challenging form, then I started to write Italian Sonnets and because of the form found this to be perfect because of the two stanzas and the turning point--then I figured that there are usually two turning points in writing, the one where you find that moment of awe - hence the haiku - and then when you actually pen the turning point - hence the sestet of the sonnet, so I wanted to incorporate the two and have come up with this form. For the challenging and more experienced writers, I have compiled a few variations on the form. I am hoping that we can get a new form started and bring together writers of haiku and writers of the sonnet, and meld them together.
The Birth of the Form
I was entering Mr Greenleaf's contest for a Bompert and we discussed the form of his poem and certain terminology in defining it. After 24 hours and a few IMs the Birth of the Gregorian Sonnakui was born:
Mr Greenleaf on Jan 31
Hello Gregg! Thanks for the comment. Well, my comparison of bomperts with sonaiku is that, the arrangement of stanzas and the syllabic pattern SEEMS the same with haiku and sonnet. Not exactly the same but only SEEMS like. Get me? Well, I will start not calling it a sonaiku now...I deleted that part in its definition. I agree with you. Bomperts will now a an original one. Thanks for the advice!
lordoftherings on Jan 31,
Mr. Greenleaf: I applaud you! Actually you have made a very good suggestion here, just call it a Bompert and leave it at that. With that and the simplicity of the definition, more people would probably try it, since there are a few who are afraid and run away when the words haiku and sonnet appear in the same definition, gets to be a complex piece of information to decipher and before I attempted to write haiku and sonnets, believe you me, I was the first one to run away.
Why don't you create a new form and keep sonaiku and make it and Italian Sonnet (which speaks of immortality and death) with an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines) and place your haiku between them staying with the idea of nature as the theme in the haiku. So the first part of the sonnet would open to the question of mortality/death moving into a contemplation of the subject through a moment of the present time (haiku) moving into the contemplation/reflection of the sestet for the Italian sonnet. Now that would be a challenge and fun! Why don't we partner up for this and do a trial run on it!
Mr Greenleaf on Feb 01
Thanks also for appreciating my bomperts. Btw, about that combination of haiku and sonnet you said...well, I don't have any idea of the Italian sonnet and I'm kind of busy right now. If you want to start it then I will be helping you anytime. Thank you very much friend!
First of all, I want to acknowledge Mr. Greenleaf for giving me the idea for this new form and having permission to create it. It is taken off from his form of a Bompert.
Please visit his page and read his tome of Bomperts, it's an interesting and fun form to try.
allpoetry.com/Poets/Mr%20Greenleaf
ALRIGHT LET’S MOVE ONTO THE FORM OF THE POEM I have sat down and practiced this and am almost ready to post something up for you to view this new form so please bear with me while I polish it up. I would like us to have fun so if the rules seem a little stuffy, it is because I am attempting to teach the format in a comprehensible manner for us all. I am hoping that we can find a few poets who would like to have fun and learn at the same time, so without further adieu here is my Gregorian Sonnaiku!
THIS IS IMPORTANT
IF YOU WANT PEOPLE TO SEE YOUR DRAFT COPIES THAT YOU ARE PRACTICING WITH, PLEASE UPLOAD THEM AS A POEM AND SEND ME THE LINK: I WILL GROUP THEM ALL TOGETHER AND THE LINK WILL BE BELOW THIS MESSAGE...THIS IS NOT A CLASS...IT IS A COMMUNITY PROJECT AND NEEDS PARTICIPATION
WELCOME TO A COMMMUNITY PROJECT AT allpoetry.com: GREGORIAN SONNAIKU
Follow this link to see some samples being presently written now, please be generous and leave a critique.
allpoetry.com/poem/1045884
OKAY!!! LET'S CONTINUE 
The FormThe Gregorian Sonnaiku is composed of three stanzas and incorporates the use of the Italian Sonnet and a Haiku. The Italian Sonnet was chosen for this because of its history as being one of the first sonnets created in the world and because of the two separate stanzas – the octave and the sestet. I picked the Haiku as the start of the Volta because it is written in the present tense and is a Zen of the moment, which while you move to your turn of thought through the Volta, the Haiku comes to represent that ‘awe’ in the turn of thought! You will continue this ‘awe’ in the third stanza called the sestet, and must show a reflection of the awe to your one thought in the octave and the moment of ‘awe’ in the haiku through the last six lines, thus creating a second awe to your poem, and it is this combination that I am so excited about.
3 Stanzas ON IAMBIC PENTAMETER Iambic pentameter is a five foot line of poetry with a 10-syllable count!
The first syllable is unstressed, second syllable is stressed;
or another way is: all odd number syllables are unstressed, all even number syllables are stressed
so it goes like this:
(unstressed/stressed)/(unstressed/stressed)/(unstressed/stressed)/
1 2 3 4 5 6 syllables
1 2 3 feet
(unstressed/stressed)/(unstressed/stressed)
7 8 9 10 syllables
4 5 feet
Now let's do a line of poetry where italics are unstressed and bold is stressed--
(The day) (will come) (when I) (write my) (last song)
1 2 / 3 4 / 5 6 / 7 8 / 9 10 syllables
1 2 3 4 5 feet
Here is the link to the whole poem where every line is an iambic pentameter line for a Italain Sonnet --
allpoetry.com/Poem/1030814
For Us Beginners
First Stanza is an octave (eight lines) with a rhyme scheme of abba/abba. This rhyme scheme for the Gregorian Sonnaiku in the octave cannot be changed (unless you are doing the challenge sonnet or double challenger sonnet --see Variations on Form Below for this explanation), it is the standard rhyme scheme of the Petrarchan Italian Sonnet.Each line is written in iambic pentameter:
(unstressed/stressed)/(unstressed/stressed)/(unstressed/stressed)/(unstressed/
Most of you will recognize this stanza as the Petrarchan Italian Sonnet Octave.
The subject matter of the stanza should address courtly love (or sex), mortality/immortality, a question on government policies or a philosophical question on life and is eight lines based on ONE THOUGHT. Another way of looking at it is in the opening octave you describe the situation or pose the problem.
This is the easy part of the poem in its creation, now comes the challenges of writing it.
Second Stanza is a haikuIn the Gregorian Sonnaiku, the haiku used must be written in the present (the traditional haiku) and be a reflection of the subject in your opening octave, what I call a ZEN of the moment.
Must be presented in the three-line format.
Line 1 must be seasonal (spring/summer/fall/winter) or mention of time.
Line 2 must have nature
Line 3 must bring them together
For what I like to see in the traditional haiku for this form of poetry, please read this link and pay close attention to Number 1 and the Post Script on this link.
allpoetry.com/poem/602333
Note: I will not accept haiku that have alliteration, metaphors, rhyme, or any other poetic device that is not part of the traditional haiku. (Haiku are devoid of any literary devices that we use in other forms of poetry and I wish to keep it this way.) I am not fussy about the 17-syllable rule but your haiku must not have less than 11 and not more than 19 syllables in it. (I also write beat haiku which are one-liners, but will not be used in this Gregorian Sonnaiku because of the structure I am trying to obtain when looked upon the page.)
3rd Stanza is a sestet (six lines) with a rhyme scheme (see below for the acceptable rhyme schemes and their names.Each line is written in iambic pentameter:
(unstressed/stressed)/(unstressed/stressed)/(unstressed/stressed)/(unstressed/
Most of you will recognize this stanza as the Italian Sonnet Sestet.
Here are your choices for the sestet with their formal names, all these are acceptable sestets for the Italian sonnet so if one rhyme scheme does not work, they try another one.
Ending your Gregorian Sonnaiku on a:
Italian sestet: cdecde
Sicilian sestet: cdcdcd
French sestet: ccdccd
French sestet: ccdeed
French sestet: ccdede
Spanish sestet: cdcdcd
The closing stanza is the third thought, usually a contemplation or awareness of the octave, but in this case, since the haiku is separating the octave and the sestet, the haiku becomes the start of your Volta (turn of thought) so you would complete this thought in your third stanza.
VARIATIONS ON THE FORM For the challenging Sonneteers
I will also accept these forms of sonnets also since they too have an octave and a sestet and are derived from the Italian Sonnet
Sicilian Octave (opening stanza) abba/cddc
Haiku
Sicilian Sestet (closing stanza) efefef
Sicilian Octave (opening stanza) abba/cddc
Haiku
Sicilian Sestet (closing stanza) efgefg
A Double Challenge
Sonetto Rispetto or Ottava Rima Octave
Sicilian Octave (opening stanza) abababcc
Haiku
Italian Sestet (closing stanza) defdef
Sicilian Octave (opening stanza) abababcc
Haiku
Italian Sestet (closing stanza) dedede
I hope that you will enjoy this new form and have some fun. I know that as I was preparing this and writing my first one, it was unbelievable the possibilities that can arise.
HINT I find that writing the complete sonnet first helpful and then re-read the sonnet, to insert the haiku part of the sonnet, think of that present moment that you had at the turning point in your sonnet, then naturize it. This is just a hint, might work for some and not others.
A NOTE ON THE REQUESTED IAMBIC PENTAMETER IN THE FORM Now the other challenge: the iambic pentameter is used precisely in the Italian Sonnets and someone Instant Messaged me and asked if I would accept another meter, and I will have to say that in the beginning of learning this form, let us try to get the form down first and then we can worry about the iambic pentameter later, although you know that I would love you to try your hand at a perfected Gregorian Sonnaiku first, but I will be very lienient in the beginning here as long as we are as close as we can get to the iambic pentameter. In the end, with the help of others who are trying this new form, perhaps we can suggest to others as we read their works how they would be able to improve on their Gregorian Sonnaikus.
Gregg
NOTE: ON MARCH 12, 2005 I WILL BE OPENING UP A CONTEST FOR THOSE WHO ARE PRACTICING WRITING THIS FORM AND HOPING THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET A FEW ENTRIES See you in the contest! Gregg
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO BOOKMARK THIS PAGE FOR EASY ACCESS OR PRINT OUT THE INFORMATION IF YOU HAVE AN INTENTION OF PARTICIPATING IN THE PENNING OF THIS NEW FORM
OUR SPONSORS This is the ongoing list of all those who were considerate enough to leave donations to keep this page up and running!
Haikumonk 500 POINTS
Lordoftherings 500 POINTS
WishintreeUK 500 POINTS
I have opened a Group for us all to get together and have fun with this form. Please follow the link below and apply within.
Group Application Gregorian Sonnaiku allpoetry.com/Application/1045917
Even though I am quite busy with two classes here and a university course, I hope to open this contest on March 12, 2005, so if anyone is interested in entering, please practice the form and then on Saturday evening I will open it. Why do you ask did I choose March 12th? It will be my 45th birthday, as well as my first year anniversary with allpoetry.com, and I aim to celebrate it! (I joined on St Patrick's Day 2004). Gregg*
Adding your comment:
I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull this off, but once I'm through with the contest-poem I an composing, I'll give this one a whirl. 
I really like the look of the form! More challenging than any that I've created.
As I noted at the bottom, we should try to get the form down first and then work on the meter after, I sure would love to have you on board to try this experimental form that may become famous one day, oh I have big dreams. 
it will be interesting to watch how this go's though. Good luck 
I don't think I'll be joining any contest of yours that has this lol..
