Mai ek is required for seven syllables and Mai tho is required for four, as shown below. "Dead word" syllables are allowed in place of syllables which require mai ek, and changing the spelling of words to satisfy the criteria is usually acceptable. Iambic pentameter is thought to be the sound of natural conversation and so poets will often use it to create a conversational or natural feel to the poem.

from We Are Writing a Poem about Home

Alliteration is particularly useful in languages with less rich rhyming structures. Among major structural elements used in poetry are the line, the stanza or verse paragraph, and larger combinations of stanzas or lines such as cantos. Also sometimes used are broader visual presentations of words and calligraphy.
If they’re similar throughout, the poet may have wanted a regular or rhythmic effect to echo something about what is happening in the poem; if they’re different, try to think why the poet might have wanted to disrupt the rhythm. Because of the way we pronounce words, emphasis tends to vary across the syllables or beats of each word, and this can affect how words sound in order because of where the stronger syllable falls. In words like ‘garden’, ‘quiet’ or ‘basketball’, we stress the first syllable more strongly; in words like ‘giraffe’ or ‘suspend’ it is the second syllable. Note the speaker, the setting, and any repeated words. Only after this, check form, rhyme, and meter to see how sound supports meaning.
A break can spotlight a single word, create double meaning, or make you pause before the next thought. In free verse, breaks often carry the structure, so their placement is part of the poem’s argument. The best poems are those that tap into the universality of human experience and appeal to a wide variety of readers. While today most poems are written without a set form, below, readers can explore a few formal possibilities.
A poem is a piece of writing, usually using some kind of rhyme scheme or set meter, that expresses a writer’s feelings (or the feelings of a persona). They can tell stories, record memories, express desire, and share information. PoetrySoup is a worldwide poetry community and poem resource. Join our online community of poets, submit poems, and use our free educational poetry resources and tools. Read and share all types of poems organized by theme.
When every line earns its place and the ending feels inevitable, the length is right. The speaker is the voice that addresses the reader. It can be the poet, but often it is a created persona with its own outlook and history. Ask who speaks, to whom, in what situation, and with what attitude.

Your Story

Poems in this genre tend to be shorter, melodic, and contemplative. Sonnets of all types often make use of a volta, or "turn," a point in the poem at which an idea is turned on its head, a question is answered (or introduced), or the subject matter is further complicated. This volta can often take the form of a "but" statement contradicting or complicating the content of the earlier lines. In the Petrarchan sonnet, the turn tends to fall around the division between the first two quatrains and the sestet, while English sonnets usually place it at or near the beginning of the closing couplet.
Poetry, literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm. Generally speaking, however, poetry is a type of artistic literature that involves using language, sound, and rhythm to stir the reader’s or listener’s imagination and provoke an emotional response. Poets sometimes bend rules, but those choices are deliberate. A comma can soften, a period can stop an image short, and the absence of marks can create flow. Read the punctuation as a score that shapes how the poem sounds.

Poetry might seem intimidating to study at first, but it’s like any other kind of writing that we analyse – it uses language and other techniques to create an effect for the reader and convey what the writer is trying to say. Don’t worry about not ‘getting’ it, especially at first – just work with what you can find and often you’ll get an understanding of what the poet is doing. This poem demonstrates how artistic interpretations can be communicated through poetry in a manner which differs from other forms of literature. These are dramatic and theatrical lines, setting up a fairly long poem filled with dark images and strange occurrences.
There are lots of examples of poems where people disagree about what it means or what it is about – even the poet! – so don’t get too worried about making sure you have the "right" idea about a poem you study. Search our extensive curated collection of more than ten thousand poems by occasion (Autumn to Easter, Veterans Day to Valentine’s Day, etc.), theme (love, nature, sports, etc.), and form (sonnets, haiku, etc.), or search by keyword or poet’s name in the field below. Lyric poetry is a genre that, unlike epic and dramatic poetry, does not attempt to tell a story but instead is of a more personal nature.