The Fence
Between the yards, -/ -/
There was a fence. -/ -/
It divided the dogs - -/ -/
From the neighbor’s hogs. - -/ -/
Two summers ago, -/ --/
On a Wednesday. -/ -/
to be exact. -/ -/
The hogs attacked. -/ -/
So dad built a fence -/ --/
Between the yards. -/ -/
The hogs were kept out, -/ --/
The dogs roamed about. -/ --/
To our dismay, -/ -/
The hogs knocked it down. -/ --/
Now dad has the gun, -/ --/
And we’ll have pork instead of dung. -/ -/ -/ -/
This poem by Samantha is made up primarily of iambs, the most common foot in English poetry. An iamb is made up of two syllables with a stress (/) or accent, on the second syllable. Iambs are marked -/ (meaning first syllable unstressed (-), second stressed (/).
English poetry was traditionally written in a measured cadence that we call meter or metrics. The meter is made up of poetic units called feet. The iamb is one of the most common of these feet. When writing poetry, control the sound of your poem by paying attention to the meter and feet you are using (often unconsciously).
Beware though that perfect meter can give you a predictable sing-song verse. When you write poetry, you want to craft the sound to match your meaning.
In the poem above, does Samantha match the meter to the meaning and type of poem she has written? What do you think?
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