Romantic Poetry- Free Verse Style

In this post we will delve into the world of free verse, only because free verse is easier to explain than rhyming poetry.

The biggest mistake people make when writing free verse is they fail to set a tone or mood right of the bat. Effective romantic free verse needs to capture the reader with the first line and each line should leave them wanting more. Think of it as a story... you want to capture the audience and build the suspense or feeling until it reaches a crescendo or peak and then slowly ease out and let them savour the emotions you have built in them. Below I have two beginnings to a free flow poem, one very good and one not so good. You will see what I mean from these examples...

I love you. But then I have always loved you.

From the very first time I saw you it was as if the world stood still

as to let me breathe you in.

The first line states the purpose and in an obvious fashion... like it is an afterthought. The poem will go on to explain the depths of that feeling but notice how the second line builds on the first. This is a very good beginning to a passionate poem.

I love you, you stir feelings in me that I cannot describe

I think that we were meant to be together forever, because I cannot imagine loving anyone else.

While this portrays a feeling, it is merely a statement of fact. The first line states the purpose but the second line does nothing to build on the first line, it is simply another statement, and that is not what good poetry is. Now if we follow the format of the first example we can change the mood completely

I love you.

I will try to find the words to make you understandwhat my heart feels when you are near,

and you are always near.

To love you is as natural to me as to breathe, and I cannot imagine my heart without you

As in the first example the second line builds on the first... it is not just a statement of fact but more an elaboration of the feeling

The romantic poem- Getting started.

I think the hardest thing for every writer is how to get started on a new poem. You have something in your head, an idea but how do you make it go from an idea to something more? The first thing you have to decide is what type of poem you want to write. There are many different styles of poetry and no one is better than the other. Some poems rhyme, some poems don’t and there are many different types of rhyming and non-rhyming poetry. I will not give you an english lesson here… I will only tell you that you must decide where to go based on the mood of your poem. How do you want to express it? Do you want the words to create a “melodic” tone, something similar to a song verse, or would you rather a “narrative” tone, more like the spoken word?

Rhyming poems are beautiful in themselves as they are more like music to the ear, but rhyming poems must have a flow to them, or they don’t work. Also, like song lyrics, they almost always have a “hook” , a line that stands out from the rest of the poem or emphasises the title of the poem. They are also more rigid because in order to flow, they must have a structured number of syllables in each line. Free verse poems on the other hand also flow, but more in the sense that they convey a mood of romance rather than a melodic tone. Think of a romantic scene from a movie, the words spoken with passion by an actor or actress. Quite often they portray analogy ” your love is as a summers day” or descriptive text, ” I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.” One way or the other, it is hard to get started until you have a direction in which you want to go. I will go into more depth on these two styles of poems in the next couple of posts.

Inspiration- The key to a successful poem

A key element to good romantic poetry all to often goes overlooked. What inspired the poem? Was is a new love you met, an old flame? Perhaps it was and important event or a special place you met someone that reminded you of a romantic night. Maybe and old movie you watched again for the millionth time that gave you inspiration. Whatever the source was, it is important... no vital, that you have it.

I can always tell when people have written poems because they wanted, or felt they had to, write a poem. I can also tell you that I have done it on many an occassion. These poems just seem to lack the va-va-voom... the spark that reads from truly inspired poem.

Whenever you write a poem, make sure you are writing for the right reason. Find inspiration wherever you can, in movies, books, songs. Take a walk somewhere where you know you have experienced feeling by being there before. Look at some old photographs or read some old letters. I guarantee you that if you feel some kind of twinge of memory or a flutter in your stomach from seeing a picture of an old or new flame... you will be inspired and you will write a better poem.