Can you decide to write a poem? In an odd but interesting book called "Poet's Choice" that came out in 1962, editors Paul Engle and Joseph Langland asked 100 poets from Robert Frost to Leonard Cohen to name a favourite poem, and provide some insight into their choice. (Some wrote three lines, some three pages.) One of the most extensive answers came from John Wain. [ 320 more words ]
http://formalverse.com/…/10/10/can-you-decide-to-write-a-p…/

One of the great things about writing formal poetry is that, if you approach it the right way, it can force you to reduce unnecessary words to meet the structural requirements, and simultaneously add more ideas to meet the rhyme scheme. Here is an example: Jam Jar In the night’s jam jar of my memory My long-dead parents live as fireflies. [ 351 more words ]
http://formalverse.com/2018/10/09/uses-of-poetic-structure/