Writing poetry is not like writing a paper in MLA. It doesn't even have to follow proper English and punctuation. The shape of a poem can even be odd. This often causes people trouble understanding the poem. In order to avoid that, I will shed some light on the basics of poetry.

1. Stanzas

They are a series of lines grouped together. Its the poetry version of a paper's paragraph.

• couplet (2 lines)
• tercet (3 lines)
• quatrain (4 lines)
• cinquain (5 lines)
• sestet (6 lines) (sometimes it's called a sexain)
• septet (7 lines)
• octave (8 lines)

2. Form

It is basically another word for style. Most people use lyric, narrative or descriptive styles of poetry. A lyric poem is any poem with one speaker (not necessarily the poet) who expresses strong thoughts and feelings. A narrative poem is a poem that tells a story; its structure resembles the plot line of a story (i.e. the introduction of conflict and characters, rising action, climax and the denouement). A descriptive poem is a poem that describes the world that surrounds the speaker. It uses elaborate imagery and adjectives. While emotional, it is more "outward-focused" than lyric poetry, which is more personal and introspective.

3. Sound Patterns

Rhyme is the repetition of similar sounds. In poetry, the most common kind of rhyme is the end rhyme, which occurs at the end of two or more lines. It is usually identified with lower case letters, and a new letter is used to identify each new end sound.Internal rhyme occurs in the middle of a line.

4. Figurative Devices

Simile is the rhetorical term used to designate the most elementary form of resemblances. Most similes are introduced by "like" or "as." A metaphor leaves out "like" or "as" and implies a direct comparison between objects or situations. "All flesh is grass." For more on metaphor, click here. A symbol is like a simile or metaphor with the first term left out. "My love is like a red, red rose" is a simile. If, through persistent identification of the rose with the beloved woman, we may come to associate the rose with her and her particular virtues. At this point, the rose would become a symbol. Personification occurs when you treat abstractions or inanimate objects as human, that is, giving them human attributes, powers, or feelings (e.g., "nature wept" or "the wind whispered many truths to me").

Now that you understand more about poetry, you won't be confused on the basics. With your new knowledge on poetry, you can share it with someone else to help him or her. Or, you can begin to start learning the harder concepts in poetry.