Let’s go beyond Roses are Red

You think that you know poetry? Think again! 12 types of poem explained

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Poetry is as diverse as the individuals who write it—from short, playful rhymes to long, heartfelt verses, with some forms following strict rules and others allowing complete freedom. This wide variety enables poets from all walks of life to express themselves in unique ways. Take a look at the following 12 types of poetry. How many of them do you already know?

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A ballad, in its most well-known form, is a song. And there is good reason for this: ballads are narrative poems characterized by their melodic rhyme scheme, which lends the poem a musical quality.

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Unlike ballads, elegies have no strict rules regarding length or structure. However, they do follow one important convention: elegies are always about death. These somber poems are reflective in tone and are written to mourn the loss of an individual or a group. Among the many poems that exemplify this, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas stands out.

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As the name implies, an epic poem speaks about things that are vast, complex, and often larger than life. Epics are long and detailed narratives that recount fantastical adventures of heroic characters, who may be either fictional or historical. Some famous examples of epics are The Iliad, The Odyssey, Beowulf, and The Aeneid.

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Popularized by modern poets like Walt Whitman and T.S. Eliot, free verse poetry is exactly what it sounds like—free. At least when it comes to following any consistent rhyme scheme or meter. It can be long or short, and about any subject. It’s freedom in the most poetic form possible.

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A haiku is a short Japanese poem characterized by its particular form: a five-syllable line followed by a seven-syllable line, and then another five-syllable line. These lines do not rhyme.

Haiku are commonly about nature and often include a "cutting word" that divides the poem into two contrasting or complementary parts.

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This playful word describes a type of short, humorous poem that originated in the 19th century.

Limericks have five lines and follow an AABBA rhyme scheme. The first, second, and fifth lines typically contain seven to ten syllables, while the third and fourth lines are shorter, usually five to seven syllables. So, not so simple after all!

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Another familiar word, an ode is a poem that praises someone or something. These poems are not required to follow a specific meter, rhyme scheme, or length, though they often adopt a formal and elevated tone. Ode on a Grecian Urn is one of the best-known and widely analysed odes by John Keats.

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A hard-to-pronounce word, ekphrastic poetry refers to poems inspired by visual images or works of art. It does not follow a specific form, structure, or set of rules. What matters most is the emotional connection between the poem and the artwork that inspired it.

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We do not know if this form of poetry inspired the pop band of the same name, but in any case, erasure poetry is a form of found poetry in which the poet takes an existing text and crosses out or blacks out large portions of it.

The idea is to create something new from what remains of the initial text, creating a dialogue between the new text and the existing one.

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When Erik Satie, the surrealist French composer, was criticized for writing music "without form," he responded with a piece of sheet music shaped like a pear. Similarly, concrete poetry is designed to create a particular shape or form on the page that reflects the poem’s message.

This form of poetry uses layout and spacing to emphasize certain themes, and poems sometimes take the shape of their subjects.

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As simple as it sounds, a list poem consists of a series of things or items. It doesn’t follow any strict rules, though the last line is often funny or meaningful, serving to sum up the entire poem or at least bring some closure to it.

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Just like the written counterpart of a real echo, an echo verse repeats the last syllable of each line at the end of that line. This repeated syllable can appear either at the end of the same line or on a separate line directly beneath it.

You say these phrases all the time, but do you know their grim origins?

We toss around old sayings all the time—some without thinking twice. But have you ever wondered where these phrases actually came from? You might be surprised (and a little unsettled) to find out that many of them have pretty grim backstories. Even if we’re keeping things light and curious, you’ll never look at everyday expressions the same way again!

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The Mad Hatter may have been lovable and quirky in Alice in Wonderland, but the origin of the phrase isn’t nearly as charming. In the 18th and 19th centuries, hat-makers, especially in England, used mercury in the felt-making process. Long-term exposure to the toxic substance led to tremors, confusion, hallucinations, and even full-blown insanity. So, when someone was "mad as a hatter," it wasn’t a joke, it was actually a tragic side effect of their trade.

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These days, "deadline" means you’re rushing to finish your taxes or meet your grandson’s birthday RSVP. But during the Civil War, it was a deadly serious term. Prison camps had an actual line drawn in the dirt—step past it, and guards had permission to shoot without warning.

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If your grandkids ever run through your living room like a tornado, you’ve probably said they were "running amok." Originally, this referred to sudden, violent rampages by certain warriors in Southeast Asia. European colonizers didn’t understand it and blamed the devil, but it was likely tied to deep psychological distress. Over time, the phrase softened, but its origins are quite dark, don’t you think?

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It might sound like gentle teasing today, but "pulling someone’s leg" used to mean something far more sinister. In the crowded, foggy streets of old London, thieves would trip unsuspecting victims by yanking their legs from behind—either to rob them or help an accomplice mug them more easily. So next time someone says they’re "just pulling your leg," be glad it’s only a joke.

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You’ve probably said you were "taken aback" when someone shocked you with unexpected news, right? Did you know this phrase has nautical roots? On a sailing ship, if the wind hit the sails from the front, it could stop the boat dead in the water, or even pull it backwards. That "aback" feeling was equally surprising as it was alarming!

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We call fake emotions "crocodile tears," but the story behind it is a bit strange. People once believed crocodiles cried while eating their victims, like they were able to show some kind of twisted remorse. Of course, science has since debunked this theory, but the legend stuck around. So when someone puts on a sad face to get out of chores, just remember: even reptiles have better excuses.

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Before painkillers and numbing gels, wounded soldiers had one brutal option during surgery. Can you guess what it was? That’s right, bite the bullet. Literally. On the battlefield, doctors had to work fast and without anesthesia. A bullet between the teeth gave patients something to focus on while wounds were stitched (or worse!)

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We know that Shakespeare loved creating new words and phrases, and "the be-all and end-all" is one of his most dramatic. It first appeared in Macbeth when the title character thinks of ending the king’s life as a final, all-important solution. These days, we use it for less murderous things—like the ultimate plane has for some things.

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Saying "God bless you" after a sneeze might seem polite, but it stems from a much darker place. In the time of the bubonic plague, a sneeze could be an early symptom, and people feared it meant death was close. Saying "God bless you" was like a quick prayer that you’d survive. Other theories suggest it was meant to keep your soul from escaping. Whatever the origin, it was more panic than politeness.

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We say someone’s "wreaking havoc" when they’re causing trouble. But centuries ago, it was an actual military command. Once a battle was won, officers might yell "Havoc!" and soldiers were free to do and destroy whatever they wanted. As you can imagine, the chaos was so brutal that King Richard II officially banned the cry in the 14th century.