Thoughts on the Longette: what a longette is and what a longette is not, and a call to action—the world’s first known longette, written in December 2025

The longette is a new poetic form—long, yet short. It has long lines, a long name,
and strange, special rules. A longette criticises the prevailing social order,
and suggests better ways forward: true growth. Longette it—play the long game—if you’re game.
Emojis are encouraged👌, but there are rules around their use. There will be prizes!🏆

A longette’s title is 40 syllables: twice the length of any given line.
Yes, each line’s a full 20 syllables.👌 You can count each syllable with a clap 👏
The longette is 20 lines long, and has to rhyme ACAB. (It’s half-rhyme time!🙀)
Emojis must follow the pattern too 🤔—unless of course you only use the one.

If we just keep on—doing what we’ve always done—we’re up sh*t creek 🙀 and that’s for sure
and certain. Can we hide behind capitalism’s velvet curtain? Not for long!
You can’t eat money and it’s wrong 😠 to keep up exploitation. We must expect more.
Bring the rich💸 to account. Change our paradigm of punishment—unlock prison doors.

To envision this, stanza breaks are not required, but if you like them,😊 follow mine!
But where to start and what to do? Well let me give you a clue, and then a few more:
Don’t stand in lines; read between them instead. Don’t pay your fines,💸 but pull down stupid signs
and put up new ones that are radical—yet sensible—and also beautiful:🦋

Let each street be a gallery of fine art—and wonderful new ideas that work.
Let there be poetry in every place, and in our very flesh.¹ Let kindness🌻reign.👑
Give up competition for cooperation. Look after🌻nature—never shirk
that important work. The last 2 lines of every longette must rhyme together
for a strong finish.👩‍🦽 Be a leader, don’t just follow. Join me as a change driver.

1. Referencing Walt Whitman ↩︎