Poetry Line by Line

Jennifer Luster

February 10, 2025

When writing a poem–whether in free verse or in meter, there’s a technique that is commonly used to keep the lines moving. “Enjambment” in poetry is when a line feeds directly into the next one. As the poem is read, the end of a line flows effortlessly into the beginning of the one following it […]

February 3, 2025

Jennifer Luster

Meter is what gives a poem its rhythm, or its songlike cadence. There are two things that create metered poetry: Poets such as William Shakespeare, John Keats, and Edgar Allen Poe used meter in their poems. If you’ve read metered poetry, then it probably “sounds” more like a poem to you. That’s because the pattern is […]

Jennifer Luster

January 31, 2025

If you don’t have some understanding of what metered poetry is, then the idea of free verse poetry won’t feel as liberating to you. It might help if I compare it something. Imagine a sewing pattern. Patterns are meant to be cut and used precisely as they are; they are pre-designed with measured specifications. That’s […]

January 30, 2025

Jennifer Luster

Writing poetry can have many benefits for the person willing to engage the process. So, when we ask the question “Why should we write poetry?” there are many ways to answer it. We can use it to express strong emotions, tell mini-stories, and describe something inspiring or just downright interesting. Writing poetry can also give […]

Jennifer Luster

January 29, 2025

A poem holds a structure that is visible to its audience. And when the lines are read aloud, the words should sit well together–one after another–creating a pleasant sound. This sound appeals to the reader in a different way than prose does. Even though some poets vary their creation of poetry and have adopted different […]

January 28, 2025

Jennifer Luster

What is poetry? Put simply, poetry is a form of creative writing which includes repetitive sounds that appeal to the listener and relies on minimal word choice. Even more simply–it sounds nice when read aloud and what it says, it does in as few words as possible. Literary definition A more complex or all inclusive […]

Jennifer Luster

January 28, 2025

if I had to go anywhere in that car that was not my usual haunts or if I had to get on “the high road”–the dizziness would commence. Because of this, I named this car “Herman”–after the Frankenstein-like character from the 1964 series, The Munsters. In my kid mind, that car was as undesirable as that loud, clunky monster with the weird black lips and hideous face. Needless to say, I did not like Herman–the car or the character.

January 13, 2025

Jennifer Luster

Taking an opposite approach to how we complete even one thing in our lives can get us out of a rut if we’re in one. It can also give us the added bonus of living well. “We’ll get our own pots!” and start new. If you’ve ever seen The Odd Couple–the play or series (1970 or 2015), you know how rigid Felix can be. Honestly, if someone as structured as this character can change, so can we. The wisdom from this line directs us toward possibility.

Jennifer Luster

January 4, 2025

A three and a half hour family car trip to a nearby city is no big deal. That’s what families do–just not my family. In fact, it was a rare day that we drove anywhere together with the exception of a quick ride to the icehouse down the street for a soda and a candy […]

December 19, 2024

Jennifer Luster

When I was ten, my family took a car trip to Houston. That’s about a three hour drive–not so bad if you like road trips–only I did not. Since I was six years old I suffered from motion sickness. Back then, it was always car induced. These days, anything can trigger it ( a porch swing, a rocking chair, someone swaying side to side while talking to me, and especially my own erratic movements).