How to End a Poem



There is no way to end a poem
  As it will end itself,
But if the pen won't stem its flow
  The guides below may help:
Like the plague or creeping pox
  Avoid a summary ending;
End your poem with images
  Or surprising anecdote,
Or words which echo or recall
  The sounds that went before;
Instead of floating freely
  Upon a brackish sea,
Anchor your poem securely
  In its reality;
Use an apt comparison
  Like a stardust stampede in the sky
Or a contrite choir of crickets;

Shock the complacent
  From their somnolence;
Close with musical chords
  Which promise a resolve.
There are as many ways to end
  A poem and yet there is not one
For poems will oft communicate
  Exactly when they're done.
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Submitted on August 16, 2017

Modified on April 18, 2023

38 sec read
8

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXXXXXXXXAAAABXX XXXXXBXB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 675
Words 125
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 17, 8

W Robert Walker

Another year is coming to a close; a new year is on the horizon with endless possibilities. We need to draw our muses into the openness of our imaginations. organize their gifts into readable verses, and share them to our readers. What wonderful opportunities open our pathways; what pleasurable words guide our ways. May we not grow weary when the words do not flow easily. Keep to the task and rejoice in our output . Writing is not easy, but success will come as we hone our craft. more…

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