Musings on Poetic Rhythm, Meter, and Measure

Rhythm and flow are all about

the poem's percussive beats, the stress

of every lilt and swing throughout;

their rise and fall must not digress

too much beyond the form without

inspiring lyrical success.

Meter’s a trick of deft poets,

who know the cadence of their feet

give lines their tempo. And so it’s

like a poem’s pulsating heartbeat;

it’s hypnotic (and you know it’s

rhythmic),—so drink in its potent beat!

As one hears a poem’s rich measure

(the crests and troughs of its music,

the ebb and flow of its leisure),

it tunes like a score symphonic,

an orchestra of paced pleasure

with a sound and song that’s epic!

By Ngoc Nguyen

From: United States