How to Construct a Dimeter Poem

Writing a dimeter poem takes practice and an understanding of dimeter poem rules.

Writing poetry is a way to express your thoughts in creative ways. Understanding the basic rules of poetry will help you write compelling pieces. For example, you may wish to write a dimeter poem. Before doing so, you must understand what a dimeter is and how to vary lines within your poem for maximum creative appeal.

Instructions

1. Review the requirements for a dimeter. A dimeter poem is made up of verses that each contain two feet to each verse, or two main "stresses" to each verse. Consider the verse "Half a league, Half a league." Say it out loud. Notice that you stress "Half" in each foot. This is considered a verse of dimeter.

2. Review iambic dimeter. A line written in iambic dimeter contains one short, unstressed syllable, followed by one long, stressed syllable. For example, "Beside, the bride" is an example of an iambic dimeter. The first syllable is short and unstressed, while the second is longer and stressed ("Be-SIDE").

3. Review dactylic dimeter. Dactylic meters contains two feet of front stressed meters and three syllables per foot. For example, in the line "Half a league, Half a league," the world "half" is stressed, and "a league" are the three other, unstressed syllables.

4. Write out your poem. Be sure to vary your lines between iambic and dactylic dimeters. Separate different ideas in the poem into stanzas. A stanza includes two or more lines of poetry that form one of the poem's parts. Stanzas are often the same length and have the same meter and rhyme patterns.

5. Review your poem to make sure that your lines fit the dimeter format and that different ideas are separated into stanzas.

References

• Poets' Graves: Glossary of Poetic Turns: Iambic Meter
• Poetsgrave: Dactylic Meter
• City University of New York - Brooklyn: Stanza
• College of New Rochelle: Poetic Rhyme