h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

i've never thought about writing poetry in that organized manner, but my poetry stinks so bad i have to bury it in the garden out back. well thought out, though, and i will give it a try. my only real problem is that i never seem to ryme my work, but the cadence is occasionally right. in your opinion, does poetry need to ryme to be poetry? or does is just need to stick to rythem and imagery?

Hello,

Thanks for that and I hope your poems turn out well.

There is absolutely no need at all for poems to rhyme. If you get a chance read the prologue to Paradise Lost by John Milton - this very ably explains the reasons why poetry does not need to rhyme.

The important thing with poetry is that a poem scans - that is, that the words fit in some way to the idea or emotion being expressed. See Wordsworths daffodils poem for this:

"I wandered lonely as a cloud,
That floats on high o'er vales and hills"

This scans in a pleasant way and indicates a pastoral feeling.

I see the rhyming of a poem as a pleasant bonus - however, you must be careful not to allow the struggle to find a rhyme to upset the balance and meaning of the poem.

Hope this helps!


Myriad.

i never could wade through milton, though i hear it's worth the effort. i've always been more attracted to emily dickenson and t.s. elliot. who knows, maybe you'll see some of my work in the workshop someday, though probably not very soon. i'll check out wordsworth next time i get to a bookstore. thanks for the encoragement.

Cheers,

You wouldn't need to wade through Milton - just the short prologue at the beginning.

If you get a chance do a Google search on "poetry" - some very interesting sites come up.

Cheers,

Myriad.