What Makes A Good Poem?

Powerful poetry speaks to us. But what makes poetry powerful in the first place?

Almost anyone can name a “famous” poem.

Maybe “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, or “The Wasteland” by T.S. Eliot. Shakespeare wrote incredible sonnets, and Edgar Allen Poe wrote about ravens.

But when we look closer, how many people can describe what actually makes a poem good? Is it just the number of metaphors that you squeeze in? Or how neat your rhymes are? Is it the poem’s ability to make you laugh—or cry?

All of these things are included in the art of poetry, and more. Here at AllPoets, we separate poetic skills into three categories: sound, form, and imagery. Poems that truly excel have a grasp on all three of these things.

Sound refers to the collection of noises that make up the words that make up the poem. It includes literary devices such as alliteration, consonance, assonance, and rhyming. But more than that, the sound of a poem can create a specific tone. For example, consider the difference between the words “stone” and “rock.” They mean the same thing, but the sound of them is different—”stone” uses soft, gentle sounds, while “rock” sounds more rough with harsh, gutteral consonants. In an essay or fiction writing piece, the difference between using “stone” and “rock” would be minimal. But in poetry, the sound that words make is much more important.

Form refers to the overall shape of the poem. This includes the aspects of writing that we normally associate with poetry rather than other genres: lines and stanzas, rhyme and rhythm, and even more specific shapes for poems like haiku and sonnets. Form in poems is very flexible—for example, not all good poems rhyme. Some, called “prose poems,” don’t even use lines and stanzas. The important thing is to choose a form that fits your subject and tone well. A Shakespearean sonnet has a very different tone from a prose poem. And some aspects of form—especially rhythm—should be considered no matter what type of poem you may be writing.

Imagery is perhaps the most commonly listed aspect of a good poem, but we actually say that it is the least important of our three categories. Many poems illustrate their point with minimal imagery, focusing instead on the sound of the words and form of the poem as a whole. And on the flip side, many other types of writing use imagery, such as essays and fiction writing, so imagery is not unique to the art of poetry.
But for a poem to truly be great, imagery should be involved, whether that is similes, metaphors, or vivid appeals to the five senses. Imagery portrays ideas in a way that can be understood and memorized, which is what many poets try to do as well. This means that poetry and imagery go hand in hand.

Of course, there is much more to sound, form, and imagery than what is listed here. Over the next few weeks, AllPoets will be publishing features about these three pillars of poetry, so keep an eye out! And if you have your own thoughts on what makes a powerful poem, we’d love to hear them! Send us your ideas any time.