Do poems have to rhyme?

Why do poems rhyme?

Some poems rhyme in order to add a rhythmic and musical effect. Rhyming can also add drama and structure to a poem. Adding rhymes to your poetry is a great way to challenge your creative writing skills.

Does poetry have to rhyme?

While a lot of poetry rhymes, it doesn’t have to. There are many forms of poetry that don’t involve rhyming at all. Here are some more types of poetry that don’t need to rhyme.

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Haikus

A haiku is a Japanese poem that contains three lines. The first line contains five syllables, while the second line contains seven syllables, and the third line contains five syllables. This type of poem doesn’t need to rhyme. Here’s an example of a famous haiku titled The Old Pond by Matsuo Bashō:

“An old silent pond

A frog jumps into the pond—

Splash! Silence again.”

Free verse poems

Free verse poems don’t follow any rules, and therefore, they don’t have to rhyme. They don’t follow any kind of meter and can be any length. Here’s an excerpt from a free verse poem called My Cat Jeoffry by Walt Whitman:

“For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry.
For he is the servant of the Living God duly and daily serving him.
For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way.
For this is done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness.
For then he leaps up to catch the musk, which is the blessing of God upon his prayer.
For he rolls upon prank to work it in.”

While this type of poem doesn’t have to rhyme, poets can choose to add rhymes to their free verse poems if they wish.

Blank verse poems

Blank verse poems are another type of poem that doesn’t have to rhyme. However, they do have to follow a meter. In poetry, meters dictate the rhythmic pattern of how syllables should be stressed. The most common type of meter used in blank verse poems is iambic pentameter. Here’s an example of a blank verse poem titled Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth:

“Five years have past; five summers, with the length
Of five long winters! and again I hear
These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs
With a soft inland murmur.—Once again
Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,
That on a wild secluded scene impress
Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect
The landscape with the quiet of the sky.”

Elegies

An elegy is a reflective, emotional poem that is typically written about someone who has died. Elegies don’t have to rhyme, and they also don’t have to follow any type of meter. Here’s an excerpt from an elegy written by Walt Whitman that doesn’t rhyme, titled When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d:

“When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d,
And the great star early droop’d in the western sky in the night,
I mourn’d, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.

Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to me you bring,
Lilac blooming perennial and drooping star in the west,
And thought of him I love.”

Since many types of poems aren’t required to rhyme, it’s really up to you if you want to add rhymes to your own poetry. If you’re interested in creating a poem that does rhyme, learn about the six types of rhyming schemes that you can use in your work.