Skeltonics: Defining Rough and Variable Verse

The question asks for the term that describes poetry characterized by specific metrical features: short lines containing only two or three stresses, and an intentionally rough and variable meter.

This unique combination points towards a poetic style known as Skeltonics, named after the English poet John Skelton (c. 1460 – 1529). Skelton's verse is famous for:

• Its use of very short lines.
• A meter that often has two or three strong stresses per line.
• A rhythm that feels deliberately irregular, energetic, and less formal compared to other poetic meters of the time. This is what is meant by "intentionally rough and variable."

Skeltonic verse was distinctive and broke away from the smoother, more regular rhythms often found in poetry.

Comparing Other Poetic Forms

Let's look at why the other options don't fit the description:

• Epigram: An epigram is typically a short, clever, and often witty statement or poem. While it can be short, its defining characteristic is its pointedness, not necessarily its metrical roughness or variability.
• Sestina: This is a complex, highly structured poetic form consisting of six stanzas of six lines each and a three-line concluding envoy. It relies on a specific, intricate pattern of repeating end-words, making it highly ordered rather than variable and rough in meter.
• Tanka: This is a traditional Japanese form of poetry with a fixed syllable structure of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables per line. Its structure is very precise, contrasting with the "variable meter" mentioned in the question.

Based on the description of short lines, limited stresses, and intentionally irregular meter, Skeltonics is the appropriate term.