Poem Basics

ANY OF THESE “RULES” CAN BE BROKEN

Poem Basic 1

A poem should be in some way “new.” This could mean unexpected. This could mean fresh. This could mean weird or unusual. It DOESN’T mean you have to add something bizarre to your poem! It could just mean you see an ordinary thing in new ways. The poetic term for this is “defamiliarization.”

Check out John Berryman’s Dream Song 14. He’s talking about being bored, but in a new way.

Poem Basic 2

A poem should sound cool. Not every line in your poem has to use repetition, alliteration, internal rhyme, etc etc. Many poems use simple English. Just be mindful of what sound is doing and have fun with language! And as always, read it out loud. Do YOU like the sound of it?

This is Rita Dove’s American Smooth. The language regarding the dance is simple, but the sound is exhilerating!

Poem Basic 3

A poem should use sensory language. That is, language appealing to the five-senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing. Now you don’t have to appeal to all five at once! Likewise, not every line has to be sensory detail. But there should be some. This makes the poem more vivid and alive.

Here’s a really famous poem: The Second Coming, by William Butler Yeats. Don’t worry about the literal meaning. Just enjoy his weird images!

Poem Basic 4

A poem should not sound forced. If you’re twisting your sentence structure so that it doesn’t sound natural, or you’re making rhymes that don’t entirely make sense, stop and take a break. You want your poem to have an organic flow.

In Nothing Gold Can Stay, Robert Frost uses simple language and chunky rhyme… and nothing about it feels unnatural.

Poem Basic 5

Don’t get hung up on rules. I know, I just wrote a list of rules! And rules in poetry can be fun— using rhyme and form for example. But if it’s stressing you out, let it go! Write what sounds best to you, not what you “should” write.

You may have heard of one William Shakespeare, for whom the Shakespearean sonnet is named. A Shakespearean sonnet has 14 lines. Here’s Sonnet 126 which only has 12. Shakespeare does what he wants!