What is poetry?

Whilst it won't answer all your questions, this thread may help you out a little: http://www.writingforums.org/showthread.php?t=2267

But to answer some of your questions:

No, a poem needn't rhyme. Many of the best do not, if not the majority.

Concerning syllables: Don't worry about them in the beginning, there are more important things (see thread).

What to write about? Anything. Everything. The more confortable you are with a topic, the better it may be. True, try to avoid cliché and well-trodden themes for fear of being unoriginal, but an idea, no matter how cliché or original needn't become a bad poem. It is how you choose to write that idea that is important.

And as for a definition: don't worry about it. Anything and everything can be poetry, but some styles and such are more prevailing than others (see thread). For the time being stick with a definition of poetry being merely the product of a poet. No one could ever argue with that.

Some basics that you may wish to be aware of:
- you needn't capitalise each line, that is an old style thing to do, but you can if you wish
- punctuation is as important if not more so in poetry than prose, although you needn't end each line with a stop or comma, it is unnecessary when your idea continues one line to the next

If you wish more feedback on your first poem, post it in the Poetry forum on the site after having met your review quota to do so. Regarding reviewing, just choose 2 pieces that appeal to you, identify what you like and why and what you don't and again why. You'll be fine.

Good luck

79 6f 75 20 6a 75 73 74 20 6c 6f 73 74 20 74 68 65 20 67 61 6d 65 2e

Star, I love your poem. It reminds me of one I wrote. (will e-mail it to you)

Poetry is one of the most subjective forms of writing. It can be anything. Mostly it's self expression and impressions of stuff, how you see it, and how you feel about it. It can even be a light hearted joke. There is really no 'one right way' or even a 'wrong way' of writing a poem. It's an extension and expression of you. No two poets are ever alike.

Although, if it doesn't come naturally to you, you might want to read poems by a variety of different poets, and also study some rigid forms. Not because you need to follow them, but because they will teach you and give you an idea of what is needed at the core. Kinda like a skeleton that you need to make into a person, if that makes any sense. LOL

I would experiment with a lot of different kinds of poetry. It is fun, if you don't take it too serious.

I will also send you another poem that I wrote for a contest. (e-mail again) It was a complex and intericate style that I have never tried before. Not only did I have to write something that made sense, but I had to interweave things. You will see what I mean when you read it. I have to warn you though, it's super sad.

If you have any questions or anything, let me know. If you want to play around with poetry for fun, try entering the poetry contest on here every now and again. The themes might help you decide what to write about.

*huggles*