Patterns exist in almost every facet of our lives. There are repeating patterns in art forms such as music, dance, architecture and painting. There are also patterns in sports, nature, the seasons and our daily routines. One of the most fundamental patterns in our lives is language. The way we speak and write profoundly influences how we interact with the world and how we view ourselves.

Many linguists believe that the sound and structure of a language can shape the way thoughts get structured in our heads. If there are no words to express a feeling or phenomenon, it may get lost in our lives. Similarly, if we live in a culture whose language is rich with metaphor, music, argument or certain kinds of imagery, we tend to value those aspects more than others. Every language has its unique rhythms and patterns that get expressed in both prose and poetry.

Why are patterns important to the study of poetry?

All language patterns subtly influence the way we perceive what is being said or written. Because using words is so automatic for most of us, we usually don't take the time to notice the patterns that we use everyday. To bring a focused attention to the rhythms and patterns of language is really where poetry begins. A poet needs to study, replicate, alter and sometimes flout the patterns that both control and enrich our lives. Just as a musician needs to study how notes can be arranged in a composition, so too, poets need to study different ways to arrange words on the page and with the breath.

Some of the patterns that exist within language are:

• word order
• sentence structure
• sound/vocal inflection
• rhythm
• stress
• visual display on the page.

Musical Origins of Poetry

Before we delve into the patterns that exist within the poetic traditions, it would be helpful to remember that poetry began as an oral tradition. The first poems predate written language and were usually sung or chanted. Ancient poets used rhyme, inflection and meter to make the poems more compelling and memorable, both for themselves and for their audience. This residue of poetry's musical heritage is almost always jingling around in a poem's structure, even if the poet is deliberately trying to create dissonance.

Patterns in Poetic Traditions

There are an estimated 6,703 languages in the world and each language has scores, if not hundreds, of poetic traditions that have emerged over the centuries. In addition, many poetic patterns cross-pollinated between languages. As you read further in this website, you will learn that the sonnet began in the sunlit courtyards of Italy but quickly spread to other European countries and eventually England, where the form mutated to accommodate the sounds and structure of English.

Major Patterns of Verse

Although there are many ways to classify verse (poetry written with a metrical structure), three major categories have had the greatest influence on English language poetry. They are:

Open versus Closed Patterns

One of the major developments of the 20th century was the birth of Modernism. Artists in many disciplines began to question the old patterns of language and image. They were looking to break free of some of the restrictions of the past, and poets such as Walt Whitman and T.S. Eliot began experimenting with poetry called free verse that is based more on the patterned elements of speech and breath rather than on the traditional prosodic units of metrical feet. The birth of Modernism and later Postmodernism has greatly influenced that way poetry is written and listened to today.

The term "close verse" is often used to designate poetry that has a formal metrical structure, while the term "open verse" is often used to refer to poetry that does not follow a strict metrical pattern. However, many people mistakenly believe that "open verse" is completely free form and follows no set pattern. This is rarely the case. Look at the following text to see how free verse also has recognized patterns:

a kind of free verse
without any special
constraints on it except
those imposed by
the notion-also
generally accepted-that
the strip the lines
make as they run
down the page (the
familiar strip with the
jagged right-hand edge) not
be too wide.

Although the text above is not really a poem, most people viewing it on a page, would probably identify it as a poem. So, poets writing in "open verse" need to be aware that both obvious and hidden patterns can emerge in our writing and influence our perceptions about what is poetic. The point is not to avoid patterns, but to consciously use them or subvert if the need arises.

Interesting side note: Many Surrealists and other avant-garde musicians, poets and artists have experimented with creating artistic works through random processes or without conscious thought, sometimes in an effort to avoid unconscious patterns. However, frequently new patterns do emerge, even in random selection. It's open to debate whether these patterns exist independently in the universe or whether our brains are wired to find patterns even where none exists.