Poem # 3 -- A Lyric Poem

So now that you are developing some expertise with meeting form requirements, such as are needed to imitate a poem or to write a sonnet, we are going to loosen up a little.

You are now invited to write a "free verse" poem, meaning that you may vary the number of syllables in each line and rhyme or not rhyme as whimsy takes you. Keep in mind that poetry is primarily an oral medium so you will want to try saying your lines out loud as you compose them.

See what you can do with:

rhythm (paying attention to where the stresses fall) e.g. "To BE, or NOT to BE. That IS the QUESTion."

alliteration (the repetition of consonant sounds) e.g. "Bob bounced a basketball"

assonance (the repetition of vowel sounds) e.g. "He seems eerily eager"

and, of course, rhyme. --> Keep in mind that skillful poets keep their readers (or listeners) off balance. If your readers can predict a rhyme before they get there, choose another rhyme. Sometimes "near rhymes" can be very effective since they result in a combination of words that is usually quite original and hard to predict. The joy of free verse composition is that you may not have any rhymes for several lines (did you catch that near rhyme?) and then have two words in a row that rhyme.

As far as what to write about is concerned... lyrics are primarily emotion poems. Any strong emotion can be channeled--love, despair, regret, disappointment, joy, relief, trust, faith are just a few you may wish to consider.

Here is a sample:

Life Is Fine by Langston Hughes

I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.

But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!

I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.

But it was High up there! It was high!

So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love--
But for livin' I was born

Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry--
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.

Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!

** Notice that the 2nd and 4th lines of each stanza rhyme. You may choose to or not to do this. Notice how in the 2nd to last stanza Hughes rhymes "on" with "born" -- a near rhyme, although he likely pronounced them in such as way that they rhymed better for him than they do for me.

As always, post your questions here and I'll try to get you some respectable answers.

CP

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