Meter Poem by Frank Halliwell

Meter



We sat round a table, a dozen or so
Discussing the merits that make poems flow.
You need a good story, for that need is prime,
And then perfect meter, to accent great rhyme!

But how many rhymers are there that you meet
That feel if it rhymes, then the job is complete?
No careful thought given to meter and stress
Produces a rhyme that is apt to depress!

If you rode with Browning to Aix down from Ghent,
And galloped the whole night 'til horses were spent,
You'd know, come the morning, long after that time
That meter is very important to rhyme!

For you can imagine as you ride that course,
You feel the great strength of your galloping horse,
The rippling muscles, the four flying feet,
The ring of the hooves on the cobblestone street.

One syllable added or stripped from that race
And both horse and rider will fall on their face.
Good meter transmutes poems to their apex,
And that would be great news to carry to Aix!

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