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This column by Tom Radzienda, an instructor in poetry and culture at Srinakharinwirot University, aims to encourage your interest and develop your skill in creating poetry. Poetry is a combination of visualisation, observation, imagination and creative use of language. Discover your poetic side, too!

February 25, 2003

Is it time to rhyme?

The most common concept of poetry is that it must have a rhyme at the end of every line. For hundreds of years, end-rhyme was the standard form of English poetry. While poets created various rhyming schemes, ultimately, end-rhyme remained the dominant pattern.

The problem is that students of poetry often concentrate on making their poems rhyme with hardly any consideration for image, theme and metaphor. In many cases, the rhyme is so obvious that it dominates the poem, as if poetry were merely the sound of words. The techniques in this column offer some creative alternatives to overcoming these problems.

Where should you rhyme?

Beginning poets, especially those writing in English as a second language, usually try to make the last word of each line rhyme. This is the most obvious aspect of beginner poetry, and can cause such poetry to be tiresome and predictable. Many people believe that if they can simply rhyme, then they are writing poetry. Look at this example.

I want to find your love
So please send me your dove
Who will see us from above?

Is that even poetry? Let’s hope your own beginning poetry is not quite as bad as this example. Experiment with placement of rhyme. Internal rhyme gives the poet a lot more flexibility and far less predictability. Internal rhymes come at unsuspected moments and are therefore more pleasing because of their surprising effect.

We hope to see you in time
Before the rope begins to swing
And you cannot cope with pain

Perfect and near rhyme

The dominant perception of rhyme is that it must be perfect. For example, "hope, rope and cope;" "bay and say;" "done and fun;" "fight and night." There are many alternatives that need to be considered. One technique is to stop being such a perfectionist and begin using "near rhyme." Near rhyme reveals a delicate pairing of words based on similar, but not exact, sounds. Near rhymes are not perfect, but they are still delicious and tempting. Near rhyme allows more flexibility and variety than perfect rhyme. Sprinkle some into your poetry for interesting effects. Complete the chart below with words that have related consonant sounds.

Near rhymes

Examples at
beginning of word

Examples at
end of word

Your examples

b and p sounds

bay and pie

cab and top

  

d and t sounds

done and toe

read and cat

  

f and v sounds

fight and vote

laugh and love

  

g and k sounds

goal and cold

bag and pack

  

m and n sounds

mate and night

time and tone

  

s and z sounds

sew and zoo

kiss and cosy

  

Complex rhyming

A more complex technique for rhyming is to make alliterating consonants change position in the words. The following examples use a pair of consonants in each word. Observe how the consonants occur in different locations. When you read the examples aloud, listen to hear how well they go together. Add your own examples.

Consonant sounds

Examples

Your examples

t and b

trouble, bottle, about, taboo

  

k and p

keep, pick, accept, package

  

m and s

master, simple, amaze, summer

  

l and v

love, violin, alive, valiant

  

d and g

graduate, degree, garden, deck

  

f and n

fashion, notify, phonograph

  

Time to rhyme in the classroom

Rhyming with friends or students can be fun and fruitful at the same time. Try these rhyming exercises in groups of four to six people standing in a circle.

Specify the rhyming technique you want to use. Then, go around in a circle with each person offering a word that matches the rhyme pattern. For example, the teacher asks for near rhymes with the sounds f and v: First person says, "face." Second person says, "free." Third person says, "violin." Fourth person says, "enough." Fifth person says, "favourite." Sixth person says, "vote," etc. Respond as quickly you can, slapping hands each time you complete a rhyme.

Once you can do this quickly and smoothly, try more difficult exercises. Use techniques such as perfect rhyme, near rhyme, complex rhyme and alliteration (see www.bangkokpost.com/education/site2002/ptsum.htm to review). As you improve, try brainstorming short lines of poetry that employ various rhyming techniques.

The finished poem

The point is to find the right balance, quantity, and style of rhyme without sounding like some cheesy, mass-produced, greeting card. Use a variety of rhyming techniques as you develop your poetry writing style. Submit your completed poem along with your name, age and address to:

Poet Tree
c/o Learning Post
Eighth Floor Bangkok Post Building
136 Na Ranong
Klongtoey 10110, Bangkok

You can send your poem by email. Mark the subject line: Poet Tree and send to this address: learningpost@bangkokpost.co.th

Visit Tom's poetry column at www.bangkokpost.com/poetry

Read other Poet tree columns here.

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Last modified: February 24, 2003