Do you prefer poetry that rhymes or poetry that feels like thought?

[Shane_8]

Rhyme has a lovely old music to it. It can make a poem feel like a song remembered from childhood, neat and bright and easy to carry.

But free verse has its own magic too. It can feel closer to thought, like someone has written down a feeling before it had time to dress itself properly.

Which do you prefer? Do you like poems that rhyme and move with a strong rhythm, or poems that wander more naturally, almost like a private conversation on paper?

I think there is room for both, but I do find myself returning to gentler, reflective books like The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse when I want something that feels poetic without asking me to solve it

[Protocol]

I prefer rhyme when it feels natural. Forced rhyme can ruin a poem for me very quickly

[Seb51]

Free verse is more my thing. It feels less like performance and more like someone thinking honestly

[Leo]

I like both, but rhyme is harder to do well than people think. When it works, it is beautiful

[JohnyBlue]

A poem does not have to rhyme for me, but it does need rhythm. Even free verse should have some kind of heartbeat

[Marcus95]

I used to think poetry had to rhyme. Now I think it just has to leave a mark