Iambic pentameter

was Shakespeare’s style of writing.

It made his poetry so sweet,

his sonnets so inviting!

We hear it in Love’s Labor Lost’,

and In John Clare’s poem ‘Badger’,

And John Keats’ ‘Ode to Autumn’ –

made him a scansion master!

In the ‘The Song of Hiawatha’

Longfellow showed his mastery,

by writing each line sweetly

with perfect pyrrhic and trochee!

I see it in the syllables

of every line they penned

Five ‘feet’ in each poetic line –

from beginning to the end.

Versi Sciolti’s poem’s don’t rhyme

nor do those of Henry Howard.

But writing poem’s in blank verse –

did not make them a coward!

For even in the verse they penned

the pentameter’s there.

one or two lines may be missing it

but those are very rare!

Blank verse was writ by Middleton,

Volpone and Webster too!

And they did it with pentameter –

it was iambic through and through!

But the anatomy of poetry –

remains a the mystery to me,

Even after I read up on it –

in Milton’s Prosody!

I just scratch out words

which I think rhyme,

and don’t think about the meter.

That’s why I am not published yet,

and most likely won’t be either!