1. Free Verse Poetry

2. We’ve written… Epic-A long poem usually about adventures.
Lament-A poem with a sad mood.
Ballad-A poem with a sing-song quality usually with themes of love or happiness.
Haiku-A syllabic poem usually about a memorable image.
Sijo-A syllabic poem usually about a theme (central message).
Pantoum-(306 only) a fixed rhyme poem that uses a lot of repetition to build tension.
Limerick-(Last Year) A metric, fixed rhyme poem that is usually humorous.

3. Free Verse…
…does not follow a fixed meter (like Limericks), syllabic pattern (like haiku or sijo) or rhyme scheme (like Pantoum).
…uses line breaks to create meaning and build tension or add discovery (see the line break booklet for examples).
…is not haphazard, or in other words, it is not just a paragraph that is cut off in weird places.
…uses literary/poetic elements to be artful.

4. What literary elements can I use?
Alliteration-The repetition of beginning consonant sounds: The big bear broke into a bountiful bank.
Rhyme-words that share the same end sound: One foot two foot red foot blue foot.
Repetition-The repetition of lines or ideas: Reread “Not My Bones” with the repeating of lines “I am not my body/I am not my bones”
Simile/Metaphor-Comparisons between two things: “His journal was like a best friend, always there to talk to when he needed it.”
Symbolism-Using something to represent something else: The dove flew down and landed on his cannon. (Doves are symbols of peace.)
Allusion-Referencing another famous text: Think The Westing Game referencing “Who’s on First” skit.
Mood-Diction/word choice that makes a reader feel a certain way: “The weeping willows blew gently in the wind as the rain softly fell on and slipped from the branches.”

5. You Can Write… Free Verse Poems using poetic elements
Limerick-These are funny poems that follow a fixed form.
Pastoral- These poems celebrate rural (country) life. These were popular when cities started to build up during the Industrial Revolution. You can also write an anti-pastoral about cities if it makes sense for your topic.
Ode- These poems are formal and ceremonious, and usually celebrate a person or a public/state event (like a holiday). They are meant to honor a person or thing.
(304) Pantoum-See the classroom website for more info: