FREE VERSE

Free Verse

Sometimes it is good to write without any restrictions of format, and this is called free verse.

Even though there is no rhyme or metre to free verse, it is still classed as poetry as it uses poetic language (figurative language such as alliteration, similes, metaphors etc) rather than natural day to day conversation.  Also, it doesn’t have any set pattern in terms of rhythm, number of syllables etc,  but it is separated into verses and has some construction and order, a specific structure and flow which is different to a piece of writing.

There are no specific ‘rules’ on how free verse is divided into stanzas (verses), but it is generally just separated where it feels appropriate, much like starting a new paragraph in a piece of writing.

In the same way the line breaks are done according to how the writer wants the words to be stressed, and which stresses feel more natural, or which words and elements of the poem the poet would like to be emphasised.  The verses don’t have to be equal in size or number of lines, and the lines can differ in length too.  In other words, the poet is free from the usual constraints of poetry.

Use free verse to encourage the use of strong verbs, puns and general word play

Strong verbs are ones which have a greater depth of meaning through implications and therefore paint a more intense image.  For example, ” a farmer reaps his yield” says more than that he “gathers his corn”. The word ‘reap’ infers that the farmer has gone through the full process of ploughing, planting, tending to, and then cutting the corn; ie so much more than simply gathering it. Using free verse helps the poet to focus closely on their choice of words and the specific language that they use so that it is easier to include lots of figurative writing, rather than dealing with the constraints of rhyme and rhythm.  Instead of choosing a verb because it fits the rhyme scheme or the rhythm of a poem best, the poet can use more detailed figurative language, including well chosen, strong verbs.

What makes free verse poetry?

I still find this difficult to answer in free verse poetry that I read, yet can see the structure of my own free verse!    I very rarely write free verse poetry as I love rhyme and rhythm but, occasionally, I find that it restricts the depth of feeling that I can put into my words and expressions and it is then that I write in free verse.  On those rare occasions, knowing the thought process that I have gone through and the way the poem has developed helps me to understand and recognise the pattern within my own free verse; the structure that makes it more than a piece of writing, but a piece of poetry.  The easiest way to explain is to demonstrate using an excerpt from my free verse “My Schizophrenic cat”…..

Where do I begin?
Who do I describe?

Do I start with the teddy bear
curled up on my bed this afternoon,
or the midnight stalker
that he’ll become
after a Cinderella transformation tonight?

Is he a gentle ball
of affection,
or a dangerous prowler
with cruel intentions?

Is he the calming, therapeutic
sound of soft purring,
or is he the silent stealth
of a sadist hunting for his victim?……..

continued…(see example poem MY SCHIZOPHRENIC CAT)

There is so much potential for contrasting ideas and metaphors that would have been wasted if I had used my usual rhyming, rhythmic style, so free verse fitted my ideas better and helped them to flow more freely.

• What makes this poetry rather than a ‘piece of writing’ is the abundance of poetic language that I have used which, strung together in this way, is not natural enough to make this a day to day conversational piece of writing.  There is an excessive amount of figurative language such as alliteration, metaphors, similes, hyperbole and personification (all of these terms are explained clearly on their own page).  Also, there is a very definite pattern to the way I have organised the thoughts, although I didn’t even notice it until I looked for it!  Notice that the contrasting thoughts are structured so that they alternate between the ‘cuddly’ part of a cat’s nature and the unpleasant, contrasting descriptions and metaphors.  (Each contrasting idea has two parts to it, so I have demonstrated this by using italics and underlining to highlight the opposite elements.)
• I have separated the stanzas (verses) into individual thoughts/ questions.
• I have split the lines by putting each individual point at the end of a line,  which emphasises it and highlights the contrasting parts of the cat’s behaviour more.  The natural thing to do when reading is to stress the end of a line, so the most important elements of my musings are therefore always at the end of the line.

If you would like to see examples of my free verse poems, you will find them under the category POEM FORMS and the sub heading FREE VERSE . Many of my poems will, of course, come under several different categories above, but they are duplicated deliberately so that you can find them by whichever means you need to use them.  Poems are also listed alphabetically in the POEM INDEX by title.