Poetry is one of the most unique forms of expression in literature. It provides deep and meaningful content through wordplay, contextual cues, and lyrical forms. Poems can be written by learning the art of poetry.
This article is an introduction for beginners who want to learn more about poems. This introduction is important because before writing poems, you have to understand what these really mean. For that, we will first define poems and then introduce different types of poems with examples.
So, if you plan on writing poems of your own, this article will help you get started.
We have already hinted at what poetry constitutes. However, to formally define a poem, it is a form of literary expression that expresses emotions and ideas or tells a story in a particular structured format.
At its core, poetry is a medium that constitutes more than just communication. It offers a deeper and more rich exploration of the experiences of the writer.
This expression is often rhythmic, but that is by no means an essential component of a poem. This is a common misconception associated with poems that they are a collection of words that rhyme or can be sung. While rhyme and rhythm often enhance the beauty and flow of a poem, their absence does not diminish the essence of poetry. In reality, there is much more to a poem than that.
Some distinct qualities of a poem are given below. A poem doesn’t necessarily have to consist of all these characteristics. However, a typical poem has at least one, if not multiple, such qualities.
One of the most remarkable aspects of poetry is its flexibility. A poem does not need to adhere strictly to any single formula. It can be structured, free-form, simple, complex, abstract, or narrative. A poem might incorporate only one of the above characteristics, or it could include several to create a richer form of expression.
Ultimately, what defines a poem is its ability to evoke a response in its audience. This response can be intellectual, emotional, or even sensory. It is this quality that makes poetry one of the most universal forms of art.
All of the above explanations might be insufficient to answer the question of why write poems. There can be a variety of reasons for writing a poem. For example, it could convey emotions through a meaningful medium.
Similarly, poetry could depict the beauty of something or someone and express that through words. Moreover, poems can also be a way to explore different types of philosophical themes. In other words, poems or poetry can be very stimulating and thought-provoking for both the writer and the reader.
Now that we have a general idea of a poem, let’s categorize them. In the following section, we will define a few popular types of poems.
A lyric poem is more focused on expressing the thoughts and emotions of the writer instead of telling a story. They use highly figurative language and convey a specific mood or emotion. Other than that, a very distinct feature of such poems is that they have a song-like character. This means that these poems have such a rhythm that they can be sung with the help of tunes and music.
Here is an example of a lyrical poem:
In this poem, Shakespeare depicts the beauty of a person and correlates it to the season of summer. In addition to that, he also uses rhyming stanzas.
Unlike lyric poems, narrative poems utilize storytelling and express it in a meaningful manner. These types of poems use rhyme, rhythm, and metaphors to explain a situation and are usually longer than other types of poems.
An example of such a poem is The Raven. The starting few stanzas of this poem are shown in the following image:
This poem explores the themes of loss, longing, and the haunting nature of grief. However, instead of generally talking about these emotions, this poem narrates a story where a raven comes into the room of the protagonist and keeps giving repetitive answers to his questions.
A haiku is a type of poem that originated from Japanese literature. It is short and simple but very rich in meaning. It follows a specific pattern with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second, and then five again in the third line.
A Haiku usually focuses on a moment and attempts to capture the beauty of that moment. In other words, it uses imagery.
To keep things simple, here is an AI-generated example of a Haiku:
An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond—
Splash! Silence again.
As you can see, this follows the syllable pattern explained above and also utilizes imagery.
A free verse does not follow structured patterns and formats. In other words, it does not have consistent rhymes. Free verse, therefore, can feel more like ordinary speech rather than a poem. However, there are subtle structural components that give it a poetic essence.
An example of this type of poem is Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. It is shown below:
The themes discussed in this poem are nature, individuality, and democracy. However, as you can notice, there is no proper structure or recurring pattern in the poem. It is a poem with no rules.
A sonnet poem can be of different types. However, a general explanation of such a poem would be that it is a poem that consists of 14 lines with a specific format. The rhythm used in a sonnet poem is known as an iambic pentameter.
To understand this better, here is an example of a sonnet poem generated by Poem-Generator.net:
When darkest night's dark veil doth shroud the earth,
And wickedness doth reign with wanton might,
The stars above, that once did shine with mirth,
Now hide their faces from the evil sight.
The winds that whisper through the trees so tall,
Do carry cries of anguish and despair,
As cruelty doth stalk, and virtue fall,
And hope doth seem but a forgotten care.
But still we search for glimmering light,
A beacon in the darkness, shining bright,
To guide us through life's treacherous plight,
And lead us forth from endless, woeful night.
Yet, till that day, let us not lose our way,
And strive against the evils of each day.
This type of sonnet is called a Shakespearean Sonnet. Other types follow different rhyming schemes.
Rhyming couplets are pairs of lines in a poem that rhyme with each other. Each couplet forms a complete thought or idea, making them simple yet impactful. They are commonly used in many forms of poetry, including narrative and humorous poems.
An example is as follows:
Rhyming couplets are easy to read and remember, making them a popular choice for storytelling and moral lessons.
What is an example of a poem?
An example of a poem is Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18."
What does a poem consist of?
A poem is constituted by carefully chosen words arranged with rhythm, imagery, and often emotion to express ideas or feelings.
What makes a poem?
A poem consists of lines and stanzas that may include rhyme, meter, figurative language, and vivid imagery.
In conclusion, we would like to say that poetry is a unique and valuable form of expression because it combines language, emotion, and imagination in a powerful way. Unlike other forms of writing, poetry uses rhythm, structure, and vivid imagery to capture moments, feelings, and ideas that might be hard to describe in ordinary words.
It allows people to express deep emotions, explore universal themes, and connect with others across time and cultures. If you want to explore this avenue, use the information in this article as a starting point and then build on it. This way, you can write great poems of your own.
