Hana writes

Hana:
One of my teachers tells me poetry has got to rhyme. Another one tells me nobody writes rhyming poetry these day? What should I do?

Philip:
There are some great modern poets who always rhyme, and some who never do. What they all do is listen to the sound their words make, and try to make the sound fit what they are writing about. When you are writing poems, try them out by reading them out loud. See where they want to race along, and where they want to pause — where they want to make a sound like singing (they'll probably rhyme) and where they want to sound like talking (they'll probably not).

Published: 19 June, 2018

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