by Linda Ann Nickerson

Created on: December 11, 2008   Last Updated: June 25, 2011

Free Verse Poetry: Free Form Fun

To many writers, poetry is the epitome of freedom of expression. Putting hearts to paper is the meat of true poetry, be it deeply emotional or downright derisive.

For millennia, writers have crafted poetry to express emotions, tell truths and make observations about the world around them. From sestinas to stanzas, poetic forms have carried a rich history.

In the past century or so, many poets have leapt off the structured page, so to speak, launching into free verse poetry.

What is free verse?

Free verse, in its simplest sense, is poetry without structure. Free verse poetry does not follow a metered pattern, and it does not rhyme. Free verse usually does not include phonic devices, such as alliteration, half-rhymes, slant rhymes or even onomatopoeia.

The best free verse poetry takes a dreamlike rhythm, guiding readers through metaphor, imagery and pictorial description. Free verse poetry often takes a stream-of-consciousness approach to expression. Often, free verse poetry feels somewhat conversational, as if an unseen narrator were painting a canvas with words.

Why do poets like free verse poetry?

Throughout literary history, the popularity of various poetic forms has waxed and waned. At one moment, traditional structures (such as ballads, odes and sonnets) may be the rage among wordsmiths. A few decades later, less reverent forms (such as the limerick or senryu) may grow more prevalent.

During the second half of the 20th century, beginning particularly during the iconoclastic 1960s, creative writers challenged traditional poetic forms. Why not? Questioning rules and authority was the order of the day.

From that era on, those who wished to seem sophisticated seemed to feel compelled to frown upon rhyme, meter and tight poetic structures.

Is free verse easy to write?

Many poets choose to write free verse poetry for the freedom it offers. Free verse poetry has no real rules for capitalization, punctuation, line breaks or syllabic counts. In fact, some free verse poets even take liberties with spelling.

To a beginning poet, free verse poetry may seem simpler than structured forms. However, in many instances, this is far from the truth. Pouring a few mixed metaphors and perhaps a shocking phrase or two onto a page does not create a poem.

For this reason, creative writing classes and workshops for beginning poets generally start with traditional poetic forms. Once a novice poet masters the art of poetic instruction within these formats, then he or she may be prepared to experiment with unstructured free verse poetry.

What about rhyme and meter in poetry?

Some poets still persist with traditional poetic formats. I, for one, retain a passion for producing ballads, limericks, sonnets and other structured poems. The challenge of constructing creative phrasings within strict structures actually inspires me to write.

Of course, rhyming poets must guard against triteness and forced rhymes. If poetry is to rhyme well, then the rhyming words must be worthy of the rhythmic emphasis they will receive.

Truly well-crafted rhyming poems can be works of art. And art, of course, is subject to the tastes of the beholders. Some will prefer more abstract formats, while others will adore the tightly structured realist compositions. So it is with poetry.

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