Last week, I had had the chance to explain meter and blank verse, a form of poetry that uses a specific meter but does not rhyme. In opposition to blank verse, free verse is a form of poetry that does not follow either traditional rhyme or meter. Rather, it uses a rhythm or cadence closer to normalized speech patterns. Free verse may use a repetition of words, a grouping of words in specific shape patterns, or it may use specific line breaks to create emphases on thoughts. In free verse, the poet chooses how they will and will not use conventional rules of poetry.

Rather than a complete lack of poetic element, free verse poetry will often use multiple combinations of meters such as the Iamb and Trochee formats. Specific line breaks, word groupings, and repetitions are placed intentionally to break up the flow of the poem. Correctly placed, the line breaks will act as a pause to allow the reader to shift from one cadence to the next. The goal is to project a feeling or an idea using a combination of elements to the reader. Free verse line size may vary and shift based upon the emphases of the thoughts being relayed.

One can compare free verse to abstract art. An abstract artist may use atypical color patterns, odd shapes, and forms that may or may not be easily interpreted. The artist may use experimental qualities of art to produce a feeling or abstraction. This art form deviates from “typical” artwork, as one may not immediately recognize or appreciate the significance of the painting. Free verse is the same. Since it does not follow typical meter or rhyme, it may be difficult to initially appreciate the significance of the form the author chooses to take with the poem. Abstract art and Free verse poetry are both based on breaking away from conventions. The goal of both is not necessarily the final product, but being able to experiment with the process, which is guided by the emotions, feelings, and thoughts of the creator.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892), the father of free verse poetry, began writing in traditional poetic form. As he continued to write, he began to experiment with non-traditional forms of poetry, knowing the rules of poetry well enough to experiment with them and then break them intentionally in the pursuit of poetic freedom. He is best known for his writings in Leaves of Grass . Since his time, free verse poetry has been recognized as a form of its own and has grown in both popularity and controversy.

This week, I had a chance to read a poetry book written entirely in free verse, Helena Harper’s “It’s a Teacher’s Life….”. Each poem had its own specific cadence and voice to it that fit nicely with the topic of each chapter. She used words set aside to emphasize feelings and repetition of sounds or phrases that rolled easily off the tongue. The book itself was a series of 20 free verse poems that tied together to tell a single story of a year of teaching at a private girls school in the United Kingdom.

As a teacher and a poetry lover, I found myself laughing and nodding while reading this collection of short poems. Ms. Harper put into words what many teachers refuse to voice, and the tone of her writing reflects those inner thoughts. If simply imbuing our little ones with knowledge was the only thing teachers had to do! Ms. Harper elaborates on award ceremonies, daily duties, curriculum planning, testing, to do lists, and so much more that fills the days (and nights) of those in the teaching profession. She brings to life feelings and thoughts that swim through the mind of some teachers as they perform their “other” duties ritualistically. She also throws in tribute poems to those that keep schools running (the caretaker, the cook, the matron, “Amy the Able”).

With all that teachers have to do in a day, she is quick to remind the reader that it’s not all for naught. In her chapter “Lessons” , she reviews all that is involved in getting ready for a class and then trying to help the children understand the concepts. After a few frustrating encounters, she reminds the reader of the reason teachers can smile at the end of the day. She writes:



Excerpt used with permission from the author
Copyright © 2008 Helena Harper