Conventional poems have a tangle of rules,
Rhyme, rhythm, meter each poem has its own,
Such features are poetry’s tools,
If your poem has all three, you’re in the poem zone.
Poets may alternate rhymes if desired,
ABAB is common we know,
Match one and three, if you feel inspired,
If you rhyme two and four your talent will show!
The poet might try a rhyme scheme that’s enclosed,
Making center line endings all sound the same,
With an ABBA scheme a challenge is posed,
Matching first and last lines is the name of the game.
If Iambic pentameter doesn’t set you on edge,
You might want to take on a sonnet,
A fourteen line, ten syllable, five meter pledge,
If you’re up to this challenge, hop on it.
For some poets, sonnets are too big of an ask,
Such folks may instead pick a three-line Haiku,
A non-rhyming three liner is a much smaller task,
Perhaps this is something a poet can do.
The boldest of poets may choose a villanelle,
Nineteen lines, a quatrain, and five tercets,
An arduous challenge, but some poets excel,
Tackling the monster without any regrets.
If sonnets and Villanelles are not right just yet.
And alternating rhymes still have no appeal,
And enclosing rhyme still makes you sweat,
You can always try your hand at free verse.