When you think of poetry, you probably associate it with rhyming. The rhythm of the poem helps your words flow together and feel connected.
One of the common rhyming patterns is having the word on the last line rhyme with the ending of the following line. Something like this: AABB CCDD or ABAB CDCD
Example:
AABB pattern: "She liked her cat.
Her cat was fat.
His fur was like silk.
He loved milk."
This poem above is a quick example of what the first stanza of that rhyming pattern may look like. This example, however, is also an example of a terribly written poem because 1) it doesn't have much imagery, 2) it doesn't evoke emotion from the reader, and 3) the rhyming words are predictable.
Good poetry is unpredictable. You don't want your reader to know the next line before it happens. Instead, you want to surprise them and keep them engaged throughout the entire poem.
Another thing to note about rhyming is that it doesn't have to follow a set pattern.
Your words also don't need to have an end-rhyme to flow well together. They can instead have similar sounds.
Here's an example from the first two stanzas of my poem Neon Stranger.
Example: "wedged between cracked highways,
neon pinks and blues shouting
NAILS, windows bursting with white
while women file and coat daggers
in pretty colors--
a pizza diner cowers,
hunched shoulders of doorways,
booth cushions crushed of plump youth"
In this example, there are many words that have similar sounds throughout the first two stanzas of the poem, which helps the poem flow and connects each line. Below, I'll make a list of some of the words that have similar sounds/that rhyme in this poem.
-cracked, daggers (both have the stressed A sound)
-highways, file, diner (all have that harsh sound with the "i")
-shoulders, cushions, crushed (have that "sh" sound)
There are other words in this poem that rhyme, but I just wanted to name a few as an example.
I usually use Rhyme Brain to help find words that have similar sounds. The site is mobile-friendly, so it works great when you're on the go.
