"The Shape of Things to Come ..."

Just like the body has a skeleton to hold its shape, poems have a structure that hold its ideas together. In poetry, that "skeleton" is called form. There are several different skeletons or forms of poetry such as Haiku, Couplet, Cinquian, Diamante, Limerick and Free Verse. You will be taking a look at these types soon.

Some points to consider when choosing a "skeleton" for your poem are, of course, its theme, purpose and mood but also think about if you want your poem to be compact or lengthy, rhymed or unrhymed, metered or unmetered.

You may know if words rhyme such as moon and June, and which words do not rhyme (or are unrhymed) like city and hill. However, meter may be a new word for you. Meter deals with the rhythm of the poem. As you might clap your hands along with the rhythm of your favorite music, you can find the same type of "sing-song" pattern in poetry (especially in nursery rhymes). This pattern or meter may be built on accented and unaccented syllables in the lines of the poem.

Your poem’s form may be very restricted and limited or very free without many restrictions. Rules for form might include number of words, indention, capitalization, number of syllables, placement of rhymed words, and number and/or placement of lines. There is so much to learn about poetic form but the best way to learn is to try to put some "flesh" or "meat on your bones" on your skeleton and experience writing poetry using different poetic forms.

Last updated December 30, 2004