Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Free Verse - Poems Do Not Need to Rhyme


Fly with Words
(Words are Wings!)
Photo by Georgia LV

After a year of daily poems and strategy ideas.  I will be revisiting one strategy/technique for each day of April.  Today's thought is: poems do not need meter and rhyme.  Free verse poetry can be a feast for reader and writer alike.

Poems in Free Verse

Students - last April, when this poem year began, I did not write much free verse at all.  I love the puzzle of rhythm and rhyme, and so I relied on that cradle first in my writing.  There were a few times during the year, however, when I challenged myself to write in free verse, when I did not allow myself to rhyme or write in strict meter.

Looking back at all of the poems, I now realize that these are some of my favorites.  Somehow, writing in free verse encouraged me to drink deeper from my inner well.   Do I still love rhyme and meter?  Yes!  But my goal now is to write more free verse too, to deepen my understanding of imagery.

 from October 2010


from July 2010


from October 2010


 from July 2010


Here are a few more free verse poems from this past year...


This Month's Poetry Revisits and Lessons So Far

April 2 - Imagery
April 3 - Poems about Animals We Know
April 4 - Line Breaks and White Space
April 5 - Poems from Everyday Life
Today -  Free Verse

Go ahead...let go the bounds of rhyme and meter.  Follow meaning and image to the ends of the earth.  And as you do, remember to listen to that wee inner voice - the one with all of the secrets.

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4 comments:

  1. April Halprin WaylandApril 6, 2011 at 2:47 AM

    Amy...Thanks for your sweet comment! (comments on my page are being fixed; they aren't all appearing right now).
    Which brought me to your page to reply and oh, how I love your poetry. I just finished Helen Keller's autobiography--your poem about Grandfather's face rings so beautifully true! So glad I've "met" you!

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  2. UnknownApril 6, 2011 at 7:05 PM

    I am so glad I found you through Edible magazine..I love reading your poetry , and agree that no rhyme allows deeper thoughts. Grandpa's Face poem is beautiful and I can easily see the girls painting a portrait with your painting the face with words!Happy Spring to all and love to keep visiting the poem farm..jeannet

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  3. Amy L VApril 15, 2011 at 5:04 PM

    April and Jeannet, Thank you so much for coming by and commenting. I'm honored to see notes from a writer and artist that I respect so much. Meeting in cyberspace makes me feel closer to new and old friends sometimes. Thank you. A.

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  4. UnknownMay 25, 2019 at 9:31 AM

    Your poems are all magnificent!
    Kudos to you.

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