You Can Write a Free-Verse Poem

[ysabetwordsmith]

A common form of poetry is free verse, also known by its French name vers libre.  Free verse has appeared throughout history and around the world, although it was made famous by some 19th-century French poets.  The term "free" means that this type of poetry leaves the cadence and verse structure up to the poet, rather than following a form that prescribes a specific set of rhyme, rhythm, stanza lengths, etc.  You've already seen one example of free-verse poetry this week in "A Knot of Thyme," with more to come later.

Despite the snobby remark by Robert Frost, free verse does NOT mean "playing tennis without a net."  Instead, it means using poetic tools other than rhyme and meter.  Popular options include metaphor and simile, irony, alliteration and assonance, onomatopoeia, repetition and parallels, personification, and allegory.  The poet may also create meaningful shapes with the lines and stanzas, such as beginning with one line, then two, and making each subsequent stanza one line longer.  Free verse can employ quite subtle aspects of linguistics, or can be straightforward, as the poet pleases.

1) Begin by choosing a topic for your free-verse poem.  If you're not sure what to write about, try picking two different ideas -- such as "freedom" and "purple" -- then combining those in some way.  You can also use a randomizing tool such as Creative Idea Generator or Quick Story Idea Generator.

2) Brainstorm a bit.  Jot down some words and phrases that relate to your poem's main idea(s).  Feel free to doodle on the page -- you may find it helpful to circle or draw lines between related concepts.

3) Look at what you've got so far.  Pick the best pieces and mark them.  Identify things that don't look as promising.  Consider rephrasing them or substituting something better.  Cross out any junk that you don't want to keep.  Choose a method of organization and try to put the good bits in order.  

4) Connect the dots.  By now you should have a core concept for your poem, some nifty words and phrases about it, and at least a partial structure.  Develop this into a rough draft by adding material to bridge the parts you already have.  Move things around some more if necessary.  Look for opportunities to use poetic techniques.  Do you have a terrific phrase?  Consider repeating it at the beginning or end of several stanzas.  Check your poem's balance.  If it's all abstract, add some concrete details; if it's all mundane, add some figurative language.  Have you engaged the reader's senses?  If not, add some sensory input, preferably at least two different senses.  A complete rough draft should cover all the major aspects of your concept.

5) Polish your poem.  Look at the line breaks: they mean something in free verse.  End-stopped lines have a comfortable, contained mood because they break at a natural place.  Enjambed lines can create tension or anticipation by breaking in unexpected places.  An extremely short or long line might need to be adjusted.  Examine your word choice, using a thesaurus if necessary.  Could you find a more interesting or precise term in some places?  Maybe there's a synonym that would alliterate with other words you already have.  In free verse, make sure you don't have any unwanted rhymes or stretches of regular meter.  Fix any of those you find.  Finally, read your poem aloud.  That will help you catch accidental tongue-twisters.  A finished poem should feel good in your mouth and ears when you read it.

Comments

[herlander_refugee]

I love poetry and I do write it in a paper book with my beloved fountain pens. I rarely have the nerve to do it online because I DO long for the discipline of a formal form. But I seem unable to grasp the intricacies describing those forms.

:::::sigh:::::

I feel rather a moron, as nothing except haiku is clear enough for me to grasp. And I am sure a Japanese purist would despise my efforts there as well because of the traditional constraints.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Wow, fountain pens!

>>I rarely have the nerve to do it online because I DO long for the discipline of a formal form. But I seem unable to grasp the intricacies describing those forms. <<

In my observation, many form descriptions are incomplete and hard to follow. Some are much more thorough and helpful, though. I've done a lot of digging around to find good descriptions of different forms and how to make them work.

>>I feel rather a moron, as nothing except haiku is clear enough for me to grasp. And I am sure a Japanese purist would despise my efforts there as well because of the traditional constraints.<<

I like haiku. The form has evolved over time and not everyone views it the same way. I dislike the modern tendency to ignore syllable count. The form is inherently syllabic so for me a haiku has to be 5-7-5. I'm less attached to ban on human figures or manmade objects. I often include a seasonal clue, but don't feel compelled to force it. I also like using the haiku form as a verse structure, stringing them together to form a narrative poem rather than a snapshot.

There are some other forms that are super simple. I like acrostic poems because all you have to do is write the letters down the left margin and then find words that fit them.

Re: Thoughts

[herlander_refugee]

I do keep the strict syllable count; after all, without that how does one even define it as haiku?

I often keep the seasonal cues, but possibly because seasons are so important to me; I don't ban any subject/object. And I do string them together for narrative purposes.

Acrostics are fun, I have played with that. But I guess, lol, it doesn't fit my self-flagellating need for mastering something difficult!

Re: Thoughts

[jjhunter]

Villanelles are fun; I like how ysabetwordsmith describes them in this comment thread:

One of these days, I should write an article about how to choose an interlocking/repeating form. See, they all do different things. You write a villanelle when you have two brilliant lines, or when you start with one and you can think of another to go with it. Villanelles are like playing cat's cradle between those two lines. If you've only got one brilliant line, then you don't have a villanelle. You put that into a quatern or somesuch.

Regarding extended haiku, I'm very fond of the haikai form, which can also be a participatory form (different people contributing different stanzas); it alternates 5-7-5 and 7-7. You can find a number of examples over at dreamwidth_haikai, including the following:

in haikai haiku
alternates with stanzas of
seven and seven

I find that these longer lines
offer opportunity

to luxuriate
in loquaciousness and fall
in love with wordplay

but enough of poetry
proselytizing; I'm glad

that you shaped words here
that you are finding a place
that you let me know

Re: Thoughts

[herlander_refugee]

Oh, now THAT is intriguing ...thank you so much! That was a very endearing instruction!

Poetry, for me, is often the vehicle of pain.....whether physical or emotional. A way to offload anger, or grief, frustration or despair.

In happiness, I tend to bubble in prose.

I wonder why that is, and how one chooses?

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I wonder why that is, and how one chooses?<<

Poetry is good for saying slant what is difficult or impossible to say straight. That makes it very suited as an emotional garbage can. In storytelling, poetry is good for concise concepts that pack a punch. Prose is better for things that need a lot of explanation or setting the scene.

I like to look at the different formats available, both in poetry and in prose, when considering how to tell a given story. There are even a few where I have a poem and a short story about the same thing.

Re: Thoughts

[herlander_refugee]

Some of the first poetry that made a lasting impression on me was story-telling, as I recall (oh these 45 years or so later)...something by Edna St. Vincent-Millay. A tale about a woman weaving clothing for her impoverished son, on a harp...on Christmas Eve.

I lent the book, it never came back, so I can't go find the title. I think I was about 14 at most when I ran across it the first time.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Great poetry sticks in mind, sometimes forever.

Re: Yes...

[herlander_refugee]

Yes, and I do think sometimes poetry can be more evocative. Even without memorization it makes a lasting image in the mind.

Re: Thoughts

[bubbleblower]

Some Web searching turns up

The Ballad of the Harp Weaver

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/238508

Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith]

That's beautiful. Thanks for finding it!

Re: Thoughts

[herlander_refugee]

The precise one! Thank you! Isn't it peculiarly habit-revealing that I still don't think of searching for something like that online?

Re: Thoughts

[jjhunter]

Oh, I like that. I like that very much. Thanks for tracking it down!

Re: Thoughts

[jjhunter]

Perhaps structure aids articulation in the former? Provides order for a mind in disarray? There can be a sparseness to certain types of poetry that I find immensely appealing when the world shifts or I do. Pain prioritizes.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

I find that certain poetic forms do help with articulation.

For instance, I like the indriso form because it has two single lines and two tercets, which can be arranged in various ways. It's good for when there are two separate main ideas each with its own commentary.
http://www.indrisos.com/ensayosyarticulos/abouttheindriso.html

I like the triolet for pounding on one small idea.
http://www.baymoon.com/~ariadne/form/triolet.htm

The pantoum creates a weave of one idea into the next, useful for occasions when your thoughts or feelings are looping.
http://www.baymoon.com/~ariadne/form/pantoum.htm

The diminuendo works for ideas with a falling, receding, or diminishing flavor.
http://www.writing.com/main/books/entry_id/592543

Re: Thoughts

[herlander_refugee]

Oh, now I want to try some of these. You know, this is like a wild shopping trip...for the mind! Something to do with WORDS, like a jeweler with gems!

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

I plan to do a post on forms later.

Re: Thoughts

[herlander_refugee]

Order to a mind in disarray---yes, I think that is it! Perfectly described.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

That's an interesting form. I may have to try that sometime.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I do keep the strict syllable count; after all, without that how does one even define it as
haiku?<<

I don't know. Every place seems to have a different definition.