Ten and Five - Ars Poetica

What if a limerick could explain how to write a limerick?

In Ten & Five — Ars Poetica, author Aliyah Zaidi takes readers on a unique literary journey through fifteen distinct styles of poetry. Born from a lifelong love of literature that began at age five with Rudyard Kipling’s If—, this collection is more than just a book of poems—it is a guide to understanding poems and how to write one yourself.

At the heart of this book is a clever, original concept: Autological Poems. For every style of poetry covered—from the rigid, structured order of a Haiku to the flowing storytelling of a Ballad— Zaidi has written a poem in that exact style that describes exactly how to write it.

Inside this book, you will discover:
15 Sections: A dedicated chapter for every style of poetry.
Original Autological Poems: Learn the rules and structure of a poem through the poem itself.
Examples & Analysis: A deep dive into famous poems, exploring their simple, surface meanings and their rich, deeper meanings.

Whether you are a child or a grown up looking to understand figurative language, or simply a lover of words ready to pick up the pen, Ten & Five — Ars Poetica offers a fun introduction to the art of poetry.