DIY: Quatrain Poem

Have you ever heard of an "Elegy Written in a Churchyard? If so, you’ve already heard a quatrain poem. Quatrain poem a four lines stanza of rhymed or unrhymed;Ballad stanza is the most common type. Lines of iambic tetrameter alternate with iambic trimeter, rhyming abcb. Choosing a subject, picking a rhyme scheme and finding words that rhyme are the steps to creating a one-of-a-kind quatrain poem.

1. The Subject



Abstract topics such as nature or emotion are often easiest to find inspiration for, but you’re free to write about anything that rings true for you. You can even tell a story, memoir, especially if your poem will have more than one stanza.



For this tutorial, we will use the dream as our subject. and "Reachable Dream" will be our title.


2. First Line

Write a line to get you started. The first line is usually the base of your poem because it doesn’t have to rhyme with anything yet so, your free to write anything on your first line- whatever pops in your mind. Of course, it can sometimes be hard to start the poem right at the beginning, so if you have a line in your head that you like the sound of – even if it doesn’t make any sense yet – write it down so that you can start writing around it. And all things follow. In our poem "Reachable Dream" I have my first line stating:

Never knew dreams reaching is hard


3. Lines to Follow

Write a line or two around your first line to give it context. As that one line develops into two or three, a rhyme scheme might even begin to develop on its own though, rhyme is not an obligatory for a quatrain poem. In our poem, I write these two lines to follow.

That it takes huge mind and heart that beats

Strength, time and sorrow I must need


4. Thinking out Loud

Read your quatrain aloud to check if it flows naturally. At this point you may need to change the amount of syllables in each line or choose different words in order to have the best possible quatrain. You may use a dictionary to enrich your vocabulary. Another good way to check for mistakes is give it to a friend and let them read it. Who knows, they might give you good suggestions.




5. Add more!

Add more quatrains if desired or as long as you feel and like to write. You might want to set up what you’ve already written a little better by writing a new quatrain in front of it or elaborate on it by writing the new quatrain afterwards. A great way to add depth to a multi-stanza poem is to include a turn, a line starting with a word like “but” or “however” that takes on a vastly different tone from the rest of the poem so that a new element can be introduced(example: a dilemma, a question, a solution, or anything else the reader hasn’t anticipated up until this point).

In our poem, I decided to end it up with a turn starting with a
word "but"

But God is here, so with my dreams.


HINT!

You may actually site a poem sample (like I did) for reference and outline. like this poem I derived our poem from.

Lonely Dreams 

(www.poetrysoup.com/poems)

I never knew following dreams could be this lonely,
But up on the hill, looking back, thank God I'm not the old
me.
If the tears will fall, let them be;
I believe this is God's plan, follow your dreams.




Our own Poem

Reachable Dream

Never knew dreams reaching is hard

That it takes huge mind and heart that beats,

Strength, time and sorrow I must need

But God is here, so with my dreams.

* You know you can do anything through God. Have a write and ENJOY!