11-06-2025, 09:32 AM
Hello Clarex,
Welcome to Pigpen.
While I am no expert on poetry, that won't stop me from offering my opinion regarding your questions!
It is true that some of the most successful poems will be very focused on a narrow idea or experience. These are the easiest to 'pull' off, but aren't the only way to approach writing a particular poem. It is not uncommon for the poem to start with one idea and then pivot to a different but related idea. That transition is often referred to as 'the turn' and there is no rule I am aware of that says a poem with more than one turn isn't "allowed". I would say that the more a poem wanders the harder it will be for the narrator to bring the reader along for the ride in a way that leaves the reader satisfied rather than confused. So my advice to you as a writer is to write your poem as you conceive it. Then post it and get feedback on what is working and what isn't. Then adjust and repeat. The key to that process is to keep an open mind and honestly review your own work critically while reflecting on the feedback you receive.
Now, regarding end rhyme poems. Rhyming can be an effective way of providing a pleasing rhythm and forward momentum that helps drive the poem. However, more often it only make the poem more predictable to the point where the reader knows where it's going before they get there. That's good for memorizing but not much else, IMO. There are other ways of driving rhythm and momentum that can keep a poem moving, such as meter, internal rhyme, slant rhymes and just good old fashioned provocative writing. So I would recommend no trying to force a rhyme scheme. Worry more about getting the message or intent of the poem to come through before going for organized rhyme.
Like I said, I am no expert so do with it what you will.
Look forward to reading your work.
Bryn
Welcome to Pigpen.
While I am no expert on poetry, that won't stop me from offering my opinion regarding your questions!
It is true that some of the most successful poems will be very focused on a narrow idea or experience. These are the easiest to 'pull' off, but aren't the only way to approach writing a particular poem. It is not uncommon for the poem to start with one idea and then pivot to a different but related idea. That transition is often referred to as 'the turn' and there is no rule I am aware of that says a poem with more than one turn isn't "allowed". I would say that the more a poem wanders the harder it will be for the narrator to bring the reader along for the ride in a way that leaves the reader satisfied rather than confused. So my advice to you as a writer is to write your poem as you conceive it. Then post it and get feedback on what is working and what isn't. Then adjust and repeat. The key to that process is to keep an open mind and honestly review your own work critically while reflecting on the feedback you receive.
Now, regarding end rhyme poems. Rhyming can be an effective way of providing a pleasing rhythm and forward momentum that helps drive the poem. However, more often it only make the poem more predictable to the point where the reader knows where it's going before they get there. That's good for memorizing but not much else, IMO. There are other ways of driving rhythm and momentum that can keep a poem moving, such as meter, internal rhyme, slant rhymes and just good old fashioned provocative writing. So I would recommend no trying to force a rhyme scheme. Worry more about getting the message or intent of the poem to come through before going for organized rhyme.
Like I said, I am no expert so do with it what you will.
Look forward to reading your work.
Bryn