Writing Focus: Rhyme Scheme

Rhyme schemes are an integral part of many types of poetry. Although not necessary for certain types, having an obvious or veiled rhyme scheme can help your poetry flow perfectly! In other areas of poetry, such as sonnet or rhyme, a rhyme scheme is essential to the poem. Sometimes rhyming can be difficult, but it can be worth the extra work!

What Is a Rhyme Scheme?

A rhyme scheme is as simple as it sounds – a series of rhymes in a piece of writing. Often annotated by using letters of the alphabet, it is one of the most common aspects of poetry. Rhyme schemes can be simple or complex and depending on the type of poem, they can be line-by-line, every second line or even every stanza. Below is an example of a line-by-line rhyming poem, Rhyme Against Living by Dorothy Parker:

“If wild my breast and sore my pride, (A)

I bask in dreams of suicide; (A)

If cool my heart and high my head, (B)

I think, "How lucky are the dead!"” (B)

Notice how the lines annotated (A) rhyme with one another and how the lines annotated (B) rhyme with one another. This is one of the simplest forms of rhyme. Another slightly more complex way of rhyming your poems is to alternate the rhymes between lines, as in the extract from William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130:

“My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; (A)

Coral is far more red than her lips' red; (B)

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; (A)

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.” (B)

Again, note how the lines annotated (A) rhyme with one another and how the lines annotated (B) rhyme with one another even though the lines are not immediately after one another. This is another fairly common way to rhyme.

Tips

The easiest way to write a rhyme scheme is to allow the words to come naturally. Don’t spend all day trying to rhyme the word orange because it won’t happen. Instead, rearrange your sentence or try and think of another word to substitute. If you can’t get it to rhyme, maybe your poem isn’t suited to rhyme. Always keep your poetry as natural as possible!

If you’re into writing rhyme poetry, then it might be a good idea to get your hands on a rhyme book. You may be able to find these in your local library or if you’re able to, you might need to invest in one from any good book retailer. These books are filled with hundreds upon thousands of rhymes for almost every word you can think of and can be really useful!

Prompts

Poetry is a wonderful thing to get into and rhyme poetry can be a slightly easier beginning point than other types of poetry. Try out the following prompts to get your foot on the ladder of rhyme poetry!

  1. Write a poem about how the sky outside looks, using an ABAB rhyme scheme.
  2. Re-write one of your current poems, including a rhyme scheme of your own choice.
  3. Write a sonnet about your favourite season in traditional sonnet form, including the ABAB rhyme scheme.

Poems

Poems with rhyming schemes are rife throughout Mibba’s poems section and as always, the quality of some of these poems is absolutely amazing. Check out the poems below for some great examples of rhyming schemes!

All That Glitters is a poem that makes use of the ABAB rhyming scheme. Note how the simple structure and wonderful imagery pull this poem together!

With incredibly short lines and a simplistic AABB rhyming scheme, Spectrum makes for an interesting read! The short lines add to the almost desperate feel of the poem and the rhymes just tie everything together beautifully!

Although rhyming schemes seem like simple additions to a poem, they can create a wonderful flow throughout your work! Making your rhymes sound effortless and simple can be a difficult task to master but once you have, you will see the benefit in your own poetry!

Special thanks to sheepcat; and Goddess_Of_Muse for editing!

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