Poetry has been used for a long time to express feelings through the use of refined and rhyming words. There are almost 150 types of poetry used in different parts of the world, following varied rule sets and forms. Some of these types are written by following specific rules only, while others are written by following strict structures.

Whether you choose to write your poems in limerick or lyric styles, one thing that remains common is the addition of musicality. Poetry is considered ineffective unless it uses a specific rhyme scheme, diligent rhythmic words, and a melody that keeps the poem memorable.

Many parents introduce their kids to poem writing as part of creative writing so they can pen down their emotions and feelings in a literal way. If you are one of those parents then this guide is just for you.

In this blog, instead of discussing a plethora of poetry types, you will discover the details about the 11 most frequently used forms of poetry. We will also explore what is unique about each type and include children friendly tips on how to get started with each of them.

The following details will make it easy for you to comprehend how to write different types of poems and teach to your kids.

1.  Free verse

This type of poetry is referred to as “open form,” enabling authors to compose verses of varying lengths, disrupt the stanzas, and explore unique elements that may be appealing and somewhat rhythmic. Free verse is the most child friendly type of poem where kids do not have to worry about selecting rhyming words and then structuring their poem. They can just have a god and write down whatever comes to mind.

Here are some highlights that make it clear how to write free verse poetry:

• No set rules of meter or rhyme
• Freedom of not following any traditional poetic structure
• It uses rhythm and similar-sounding words to add beauty and melody to the poetry

Example of Free Verse Poetry:

Simply, the mind can not be idle
And it kicks the heart of bullying
The heart cries, the mind giggles
And the mind starts singing
In all tones in all colours of lexicon
Stunned heart mutes its cry
And the mind and the heart both sing
Freely freely free verses

Written by: Indira Renganathan

2.  Blank verse

In this type of poetry, writers are allowed to shape their poems by using regular metrical but unrhymed lines. In blank verse, you will have to write the poem in a meter, specifically iambic pentameter.

There are no restrictions on the individual stanza length, for every line should have ten syllables. This type of poetry resembles Shakespearean Sonnets, but it employs a movement that prioritizes rhythm over rhyme.

Some major points to notice in this type of poem are:

• Use of iambic meter
• Using ten syllables in each line
• No restrictions on individual stanza length
• Use of rhythm, but not rhyme

Example of Blank Verse:

The Ball Poem

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,

What, what is he to do? I saw it go

Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then

Merrily over-there it is in the water!

By: John Berryman

This type of poem is a good exercise to teach kids about rhythm in poetry as a little practice with Blank Verse can bring rhythm to poetry.

3.  Ballad

A ballad is a form of poetry that is similar to an epic, but the difference between the two is that ballads are much shorter than epics. A structured pattern is used in this form with four-line stanzas, and you can write as many stanzas as needed. For children who have mastered the basic art of poem writing a Ballad is a good exercise to learn about rhyming as each stanza can have different rhyming words.

The idea behind the ballads was to set them to music, allowing us to use this form for slow love songs with a rhyme scheme of ABCB. Unlike the ballads we use today, the traditional form was written in a dialogue scheme, where two characters spoke to one another.

Here are the major points to follow while teaching your children about Ballad writing:

• Similar to epic poetry but much shorter than traditional ones
• Four-line stanzas (As many stanzas as needed to complete a story)
• The main theme is set for music
• Follows the rhyme scheme of ABCB

Example of Ballad Poetry:

By: Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by the sea;

But we loved with a love that was more than love- I and my Annabel Lee;

With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her highborn kinsman came And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre In this kingdom by the sea.

Most writers find it hard to write this type of poetry, and contemporary writers now rely on using reliable poem writing tools. These tools can help not only to write ballad poems but also to understand the overall theme.

One of the best examples of these tools is the Poem Generator, which can turn your words into a memorable and musical ballad. This poem maker just requires you to enter your topic, choose the type of poetry, and add some relevant ideas, and it will write a poem for you within seconds.

We gave the following prompt and checked what poem will we get:

“Write a poem about how we met last winter, fell in love with the feeling of “love at first sight.” Write about the happy moments of the first time playing together in the snow, and then, in the same night, asking to be out on a date next time. And on the very first date, we found that we were a perfect couple, and I, being a man, proposed to her to marry me”

So, when you provide a detailed prompt to this tool, it can generate up to 3 versions of poems with the same theme, and you can select any of these versions that perfectly fulfill your requirements.

Working with one of these advanced and reliable poem generator tools can help you save time in ideation, verse compilation and improve the overall vocabulary.

4.  Proposal

As per the name of this type of poetry, you focus on expressing your love and desire to be together with your loved one in the future. The writer conveys their feelings by creating romantic imagery according to the depth of their relationship. This is a poem used to ask a partner, “Will you marry me?” in an artistic way.

Example of Proposal Poetry:

Her serene voice,

And her beautiful smile,

Her torquise eyes,

Shining so bright,

Under the moonlight we stand,

Hand in hand,

I kneel down on my knee,

Asking her will you marry me,

She accepts my proposal,

And honestly, from that day onwards,

I sleep in peace.

Poet Name: Arfah Afaqi Zia

5.  Clerihew

The clerihew is a form of poetry that bears some resemblance to limericks, characterized by its brief structure and humorous elements. This poem type is fairly popular among children and new writers because it keeps them involved. Clerihew poems consist of four-line stanzas, and the number of stanzas can vary depending upon the subject matter.

A specific format is used to write this type of poetry; the starting line of the stanza should be the name of a person. This type of poem follows a rhyme scheme of

AABB is usually written to help people remember certain things.

Example of a Clerihew Poem:

Edmund Bent-
Ley wrote “The Last Case of Trent”.
His middle name was Clerihew,
Rhymes for that are very few.

A clerihew’s strength
It is four lines of unequal length;
You rhyme the first two,
And the last two, too.

Clerihews were first biographic,
Explaining in words few but graphic,
A person’s claim to fame.
Edmund Bentley was his middle name.

Poet Name: Jennie Radley

6.  Epic

An Epic poem is a narrative style of storytelling in verses and can be considered the novels of the poetry world. Traditionally, it focuses on discussing heroic deeds and events in a specific culture.

Before writers started writing short stories and novels, most of our classic tales were written in this style of poetry. Some of the major concerns to consider while writing epic poems are:

• Write a short story in verses
• No use of specific rhyme scheme or meter
• Can add as many verses as needed according to the story

Example of an Epic Poem:

POEM WRITTEN IN A COPY OF BEOWULF

At various times, I have asked myself what reasons

moved me to study, while my night came down,

without particular hope of satisfaction,

the language of the blunt-tongued Anglo-Saxons.

Used up by the years, my memory

loses its grip on words that I have vainly

repeated and repeated. My life in the same way

weaves and unweaves its weary history.

Then I tell myself: it must be that the soul

has some secret, sufficient way of knowing

that it is immortal, that its vast, encompassing

circle can take in all, can accomplish all.

Beyond my anxiety, beyond this writing,

the universe waits, inexhaustible, inviting.

7.  Pantoum

Pantoum is a poetry type in which verses are written in stanzas, each stanza includes 4 lines, and the whole poem can be written in as many stanzas as required. There are no set rules to follow or any rhyme scheme to write this type of poetry.

Historically, Pantoums were typically composed of 2 to 3 stanzas, and alternating lines of each stanza should rhyme. However, in contemporary practice, there are no such requirements to follow any pattern.

Example of a Pantoum Poem:

Stillbirth

On a platform, I heard someone call out your name: No, Laetitia, no.

It wasn’t my train-the doors were closing,

but I rushed in, searching for your face.

But no Laetitia. No.

No one in that car could have been you,

but I rushed in, searching for your face:

no longer an infant. A woman now, blond, thirty-two.

No one in that car could have been you. Laetitia-Marie was the name I had chosen.

No longer an infant. A woman now, blond, thirty-two: I sometimes go months without remembering you.

Laetitia-Marie was the name I had chosen:

I was told not to look. Not to get attached-

I sometimes go months without remembering you. Some griefs bless us that way, not asking much space.

I was told not to look. Not to get attached.

It wasn’t my train-the doors were closing.

Some griefs bless us that way, not asking much space. On a platform, I heard someone calling your name.

-Laure-Anne Bosselaar

8.  Concrete

This type of poem has a visual structure that resembles its content, message, or theme. This form of poetry is also known as a shape poem and is mostly children’s favorite, but some writers love to use it for communicating adult ideas. Focus on the following easy steps to write concrete poems:

• Choose an object that you will be using as a subject for your poem.
• For the convenience of beginners, it is advised to choose animals or foods to use as an object
• First, draw a rough outline of the shape of the object to ensure that the words and the shape of the poem will be synchronized

Example of a Concrete Poem:

9.  Cinquain

Cinquain is a type of poem that is inspired by the Haiku poem style and is written in five lines. It follows a strict pattern in which the writer of the poem will have to complete the poem within one stanza only. Some of the traditional poets used to write cinquains using iambic meter, but this practice has become outdated. Some of the major points to follow while writing cinquain poems include:

• Using a clear title that portrays a clear meaning of the poem
• A specific number of syllables will be used in each line: 2 in the first line, 4 in the second line, 6 in the third line, 8 in the fourth line, and again 2 syllables in the last line.
• The whole poem will be written only in one stanza containing 5 lines
• Writers can use the rhyming schemes, including Ababb, abaab, and abccb

Example of A Cinquain Poem:

puppy

ornery, naughty growling, jumping, chewing a playful bundle of trouble Boxer

tree white, tall

reaching, bending, fluttering leaves and twigs in the wind

aspen

penguin black, white

waddling, swimming, leaping

a tuxedo in the cold water emperor

party happy, cheerful singing, eating, playing

my eighth birthday party

perfect

10.              Villanelle

Vinallille is a poetic form used to convey the complex emotions, themes of obsession, and loss. This genre was first introduced to express affection for nature, particularly highlighting the romantic aspects of the lives of shepherds and shepherdesses. But now, it is used to showcase intense emotional attachment to a wide range of topics. It adheres to a defined set of rules:

• This type of poetry is written in 19 lines
• There are five trecets (3-line stanzas) and one quatrain (4-line stanza)
• It is written in the rhyme scheme of ABA, ABA, ABA, ABA, ABA, ABAA      
• The first line will be repeated with the same wording in lines 6, 12, and 18
• The third line will be repeated with the same wording in lines 9, 15, and 19

Example of A Villanelle Poem:

Mad Girl’s Love Song

“I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;

I lift my lids and all is born again.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,

And arbitrary blackness gallops in:

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed

And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell’s fires fade:

Exit seraphim and Satan’s men:

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you’d return the way you said,

But I grow old and I forget your name.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;

At least when spring comes they roar back again.

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)”

Written by: Sylvia Plath

11.              Sestina

The Sestina is among the oldest forms of poetry, having been first introduced in France around the year 1200. It gained popularity in Italy during the 14th century and became well-known in England by the 15th century.

This poetic form consists of 39 lines, structured into 6 stanzas of 6 lines each, with the final stanza comprising 3 lines. It is not an advisable format for your kids but for kids who have mastered some poem types can experiment with it. To compose a sestina, poets must adhere to a stringent rule that involves the lexical repetition of end words.

This technique requires that the end words from each line of the initial stanza be repeated as the end words in the corresponding lines of the subsequent stanzas. The specific arrangement of these words is as follows:

• Stanza 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
• Stanza 2: 6, 1, 5, 2, 4, 3
• Stanza 3: 3, 6, 4, 1, 2, 5
• Stanza 4: 5, 3, 2, 6, 1, 4
• Stanza 5: 4, 5, 1, 3, 6, 2
• Stanza 6: 2, 4, 6, 5, 3, 1

Poets have the liberty to select rhyming patterns according to their preferences. Otherwise, there are no strict regulations regarding the selection of a particular rhyme scheme when composing a sestina poem.

Example of A Sestina Poem:

You who are happy in a thousand homes, (1)
Or overworked therein, to a dumb peace; (2)
Whose souls are wholly centered in the life (3)
Of that small group, you personally love, (4)
Who told you that you need not know or care (5)
About the sin and sorrow of the world? (6)

Do you believe the sorrow of the world (6)
Does it not concern you in your little homes? — (1)
That you are licensed to avoid the care (5)
And toil for human progress, human peace, (2)
And the enlargement of our power of love (4)
Until it covers every field of life? (3)

The first duty of all human life (3)
It is to promote the progress of the world (6)
In righteousness, in wisdom, truth, and love; (4)
And you ignore it, hidden in your homes, (1)
Content to keep them in uncertain peace, (2)
Content to leave all else without your care. (5)

Yet you are mothers! And a mother’s care (5)
It is the first step toward a friendly human life. (3)
Life where all nations are in untroubled peace (2)
Unite to raise the standard of the world (6)
And make the happiness we seek in homes (1)
Spread everywhere in strong and fruitful love. (4)

You are content to keep that mighty love (4)
In its first steps forever, the crude care (5)
Of animals for mate and young and homes, (1)
Instead of pouring it abroad in life, (3)
It’s mighty current feeding all the world (6)
Till every human child can grow in peace. (2)

You cannot keep your small domestic peace (2)
Your little pool of undeveloped love, (4)
While the neglected, starved, unmothered world (6)
Struggles and fights for lack of mother’s care, (5)
And its tempestuous, bitter, broken life (3)
Beats in upon you in your selfish homes. (1)

We all may have our homes (1) in joy and peace (2)
When a woman’s life (3), in its rich power of love (4)
Is joined with man’s to care (5) for all the world. (6)

Written By: Charlotte Anna Perkins Gilman

Closing Remarks

Poem writing has remained one of the most influential forms of communication, conveying human thoughts and feelings through beautiful methods and words. Free verse’s unbound flow or the villanelle’s rigid repetition, each shape boasts a unique rhythm, structure, and charm. Exploring the 11 poetry types discussed above allows new writers and professionals to polish their creative skills and understand how to set a specific poetic tone in each form.