Weekend Writing: All About Free Verse Poetry

When you were required to read poetry in high school, you probably read classic works by William Wordsworth, William Blake, Samuel Tyler Coleridge, John Keats, Lord Byron, William Shakespeare, and others. These works have a formal structure. Of course, they rhymed. The poems contained complex imagery and diction choices you probably couldn't quite understand. You thought every poem would be like those, so you gave up on poetry entirely.

Unfortunately, I'm describing myself in high school. Yes, I didn't like poetry. I thought poems had to rhyme and I couldn't understand them, let alone attempt to write a poem. I never imagined I would one day be a published poet, but I guess this proves life has many unexpected twists and turns. I wish I understood poetry back then because I could have contributed so much more to my AP English class discussions on Blake's poetry. 

But alas, I didn't know poetry was beautiful until I was a college student, and that's okay. But most importantly, I didn't know poetry didn't have to rhyme and once I learned this valuable lesson, my life changed forever. 

Newsflash: Poetry doesn't have to rhyme. There's a form of poetry many modern and contemporary poets prefer, including myself: free verse poetry. According to The University of Pennsylvania, free verse poetry refers to any poem that has an irregular cadence or rhythm. Free verse poems can rhyme some of the time, but it's not in every line (like you would see in a Blake poem).

Walt Whitman is considered the "father of free verse poetry" (photo/Pinterest).

With free verse poetry, you have, well, more freedom with your writing. You're not limited to a specific form. Your poem can be structured any way you prefer or the way the poem calls for. You don't have to worry about finding words that rhyme. This writing process could disrupt your thinking, thus disrupting your creativity and expression of your innermost feelings. 

So, yes, poems don't have to rhyme. Ignore those "roses are red, violets are blue" poems you learned in elementary school. Read poems by modern and contemporary poets. Once you begin reading free verse poems, maybe you'll change your perspective of poetry. Maybe you'll understand poems and realize poetry isn't "scary." It's not too difficult to interpret. 

Just give it a try. You never know what might happen. 

Happy National Poetry Month! 

-KJL-