On Poetry

Knowing different types of poems can significantly help in creating interesting and unique pieces of writing. 

1. Ballad: A poem or song which tells a story in a simple way. Often associated with anonymous folk tales.
2. Sonnet: A poem with 14 lines usually written in iambic pentameter.
3. Ode: Long poem dedicated to a (generally deceased) person or object.
4. Limerick: A five line comic verse which follows A, A, B, B, A syllable patterns and rhyming schemes.
5. Clerihew: A four line comic verse composed of two rhyming couplets. The first line generally refers to the name of the person about whom the poem is about.
6. Elegy: A poem of mourning or lamentation usually sad and reflective in nature.

(A "book rose" at a recycled book fair in Bath, England)