In this lesson, you read examples of free-verse poems. Now it's time to write a free-verse poem of your own.
Remember, free-verse poetry lacks a set pattern. This keeps the speaker from falling into a dull, repetitive beat. There is no regular rhyme scheme, though poets may choose to use internal rhyme. In addition, poets can vary the length of stanzas or use unusual line breaks. They may use repetition, like anaphora, to draw attention to an idea. They can also incorporate sound devices to create a pleasing sound, including
• internal rhyme - rhyming one word with another in a line
• alliteration - repeating the initial consonant sound in two or more words in a line
• assonance - repeating the vowel sound of words in a line •consonance - repeating the consonant sound of words in a line
• anaphora - repeating the opening words or phrase at the beginning of two or more lines
Prompt:
Compose a poem using free verse. After you write your poem, write a paragraph that explains the characteristics you used in the poem, like stanza length, line breaks, and any sound devices used. Be sure to analyze the effects of using those characteristics in your poem.
