Free Verse Poem Examples: 10 Classic Examples of Free Verse

Free verse is a form of poetry that lacks a consistent rhyme scheme, meter, or structure. It is characterized by its liberty and flexibility, allowing the poet to express thoughts and emotions freely, without being constrained by traditional poetic forms. While free verse has a long history, its most significant innovations took place in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, particularly in America and France. Below, we explore ten classic examples of free verse from this period, illustrating how poets have used this form to create powerful, evocative works.

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What Is a Free Verse Poem?

Free verse refers to poetry that does not conform to regular metre, rhyme schemes, or line lengths. Often unrhymed, free verse allows poets to explore themes and structures with greater freedom. Although free verse became prominent in the nineteenth century, earlier examples also exist.

Free verse differs from blank verse, which maintains a consistent metre (typically iambic pentameter) but does not rhyme. This freedom gives poets creative flexibility while maintaining rhythm through natural speech patterns.

1. Christopher Smart, ‘My Cat Jeoffry’

For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry.
For he is the servant of the Living God duly and daily serving him.
For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way.
For this is done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness.
For then he leaps up to catch the musk, which is the blessing of God upon his prayer ...

Christopher Smart's "My Cat Jeoffry" is a striking example of an early free verse poem, even though it was written in the eighteenth century. Smart, who wrote this poem while confined to a mental asylum, blends religious devotion with the playful, almost mystical nature of his pet cat, Jeoffry. The poem is a tribute to Jeoffry's piety, depicting the cat as a spiritual being who serves God with reverence and elegance. The repetition of "For" at the start of each line mimics the biblical style of psalms, yet the poem’s lack of a regular meter and its free-flowing structure point to the innovation of free verse that would later come to prominence in the nineteenth century.

The poem’s unusual structure and its focus on the mundane aspects of life – like a cat’s actions – elevated everyday experiences to a spiritual level. The absence of rhyme and meter, combined with Smart's focus on rhythm and repetition, gives the poem an almost chant-like quality, immersing the reader in the sacredness of the cat's actions. Smart’s use of free verse highlights how this form allows for the expression of personal, intimate moments that would not fit within more traditional poetic structures.

2. Walt Whitman, ‘Song of Myself’

I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
I loafe and invite my soul,
I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass …

Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” is one of the most famous works in free verse poetry. Whitman embraced free verse as a tool for self-expression, as demonstrated in his sprawling, liberating style. This poem is a declaration of individuality, celebrating the poet’s own identity while simultaneously blurring the boundaries between the self and the universe. Whitman’s use of free verse frees him from the constraints of meter and rhyme, allowing him to capture the expansiveness of the American landscape and the complexity of the human experience. The lines of the poem flow in a seemingly unstructured manner, reflecting the natural rhythms of thought and speech.

What makes Whitman’s work particularly revolutionary is his approach to the form. By rejecting traditional poetic structures, he was able to create a more intimate, accessible, and spontaneous voice. Whitman’s free verse allows him to explore profound philosophical and existential questions without being limited by the formal restrictions of rhyme or meter. His poetry, much like his life, is an ongoing exploration of self and the world around him, making “Song of Myself” a timeless example of free verse at its most ambitious.

3. Gustave Kahn, ‘The Dying Lover’

So long as the child preferred to me such and such a
player of the flute or singer to the zither,
little I cared
that she loved such and such a player of the flute or
scratcher of the zither.
By the cross-roads I have fallen struck, struck by the
thrust of a sword.
Whose? player of flute or scratcher of zither?
How long the night is to be so slow in dying.

Gustave Kahn's "The Dying Lover" is a haunting exploration of love and jealousy, written in the French vers libre style. Kahn was one of the pioneers of the free verse movement in France, and this poem exemplifies his approach. The fragmented lines and lack of a set rhyme scheme or meter mirror the emotional fragmentation of the speaker, who grapples with the pain of unrequited love and loss. The irregularity of the poem’s form highlights the chaotic nature of the speaker’s emotions, amplifying the sense of disarray and anguish.

The poem’s shifting rhythm reflects the inner turmoil of the lover, while the imagery of swords and musical instruments evokes both conflict and longing. Kahn’s use of free verse allows him to capture the complexity of human emotion without the constraints of traditional rhyme or meter. The poem’s fragmented style mirrors the disjointed, disillusioned state of the speaker’s mind, making it an evocative example of the emotional potency that free verse can achieve.

4. Stéphane Mallarmé, ‘A Dice Throw’

NOTHING
of the memorable crisis
or might
the event have been accomplished in view of all results null
human
WILL HAVE TAKEN PLACE
an ordinary elevation pours out absence
BUT THE PLACE
some splashing below of water as if to disperse the empty act
abruptly which otherwise
by its falsehood
would have founded
perdition

Stéphane Mallarmé’s "A Dice Throw" is a quintessential example of the experimental use of free verse. Mallarmé’s poem employs wide gaps between words and phrases, creating a visual and rhythmic disintegration that mirrors the dissolution of meaning and the uncertain nature of human existence. The poet uses space, as well as language, to evoke a sense of void and ambiguity, challenging the reader to find meaning in the spaces between words. The lack of regular structure and meter allows Mallarmé to experiment with the visual representation of language and its relationship to thought.

In many ways, "A Dice Throw" is an early form of concrete poetry, where the arrangement of the text itself contributes to the poem’s meaning. Mallarmé’s use of free verse to convey existential uncertainty and the dissolution of reality was groundbreaking, influencing later movements such as modernism and surrealism. The poem exemplifies the freedom of expression that free verse allows, as Mallarmé manipulates both form and content to create a complex, multi-layered reading experience.

5. T. E. Hulme, ‘Autumn’

A touch of cold in the Autumn night –
I walked abroad,
And saw the ruddy moon lean over a hedge
Like a red-faced farmer …

T. E. Hulme’s “Autumn” is a short but striking example of free verse. Written in 1908, the poem reflects Hulme’s debt to French Symbolist poets and their innovative approach to imagery. In just a few lines, Hulme captures the quiet melancholy of autumn, juxtaposing the cold night air with the warm, human image of a red-faced farmer. The irregular line lengths and lack of rhyme give the poem a sense of spontaneity and natural flow, mirroring the fleeting nature of the autumn season.

The simplicity of the imagery and the directness of the language make “Autumn” a powerful expression of mood, one that is enhanced by the free verse form. Hulme’s decision to use free verse allows him to capture the essence of the autumn night without the constraints of meter or rhyme. The lack of structure mirrors the natural unpredictability of the season itself, making the poem a perfect example of how free verse can evoke emotions and imagery with vivid clarity.

6. Ezra Pound, ‘In a Station of the Metro’

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.

Ezra Pound’s "In a Station of the Metro" is one of the most famous examples of imagism, a movement that sought to capture a moment in time with precision and clarity. Though this poem consists of just two lines, its brevity and sharp imagery make a powerful statement about modern life. The image of “faces in the crowd” is likened to “petals on a wet, black bough,” a metaphor that evokes the fragility and fleeting nature of human existence. The form of the poem, with its succinctness and lack of conventional structure, reflects the fast-paced, transient nature of modern life that Pound sought to portray.

While the poem is incredibly brief, the use of free verse allows Pound to emphasize the stark contrast between the faces and the natural imagery of the petals and the bough. This vivid juxtaposition makes a profound statement about human isolation amidst the busy, anonymous crowd. By stripping the poem of unnecessary words and focusing solely on a snapshot of modern life, Pound demonstrates how free verse can condense powerful emotion into a few, carefully chosen words.

7. William Carlos Williams, ‘The Red Wheelbarrow’

so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.

William Carlos Williams’s “The Red Wheelbarrow” is a celebrated example of imagist free verse, with its simplicity and clarity capturing a moment of quiet beauty. The poem focuses on a single, seemingly mundane object – a red wheelbarrow – yet through the poet’s careful attention to detail, it becomes a symbol of the delicate balance between the natural world and human life. The lack of punctuation and the short, broken lines give the poem a sense of immediacy, as if the reader is observing the scene in real-time.

In its minimalism, the poem emphasizes the importance of small, everyday moments that are often overlooked. Williams’s free verse allows him to focus on the imagery of the wheelbarrow, rainwater, and chickens without being confined by traditional poetic structures. This creates an intimate and contemplative mood, inviting the reader to slow down and appreciate the beauty in the simple things in life. Williams’s work exemplifies how free verse can elevate the mundane and make the ordinary seem extraordinary.

8. Marianne Moore, ‘Poetry’

I, too, dislike it: there are things that are important beyond all this fiddle.
Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one discovers that there is in
it, after all, a place for the genuine.

Marianne Moore’s “Poetry” challenges conventional ideas about poetry itself. In this poem, Moore expresses her ambivalence toward the art form, acknowledging that while she dislikes much contemporary poetry, there are still moments of genuine beauty to be found. The poem is a critique of poetry’s pretentiousness and a call for more authenticity. The free verse structure mirrors Moore’s rejection of traditional forms and her desire to break free from poetic conventions. Her fragmented lines and irregular rhythms suggest the disjointed nature of modern poetry and the difficulty of finding true meaning within it.

Moore’s use of free verse allows her to explore her complex feelings about poetry, free from the constraints of meter or rhyme. This flexibility enables her to engage in a more conversational tone, as if she is speaking directly to the reader about her thoughts on the state of the art form. The poem’s free-form structure allows Moore to move between criticism and appreciation with ease, showing how free verse can be an ideal medium for expressing nuanced and contradictory ideas.

9. Langston Hughes, ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers’

I’ve known rivers:
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Langston Hughes’s “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” is a powerful example of free verse that combines personal identity with the broader history of African American experience. The poem connects the speaker’s personal soul to the ancient, timeless rivers of the world, drawing a parallel between the flow of these rivers and the endurance of the African American spirit. Hughes’s use of free verse allows him to explore the vastness of time and human experience without being constrained by traditional form. The flowing, unbroken lines of the poem reflect the continuous, unyielding nature of the rivers and the enduring legacy of the African diaspora.

Hughes’s free verse creates a sense of rhythm and movement that mirrors the eternal flow of the rivers. The repetition of the phrase “I’ve known rivers” serves as both a meditation on the past and a declaration of the speaker’s connection to this long history. The poem’s simplicity and directness are enhanced by the freedom of free verse, which allows Hughes to speak with a voice that is both personal and universal. This poem is a testament to the power of free verse in conveying both individual and collective experience.

10. Jack Kerouac, ‘American Haiku’

I will take you, very quietly, to the riverbank
I will take you, and hold you close
And with one look into your eyes
I will make a revolution
In your mind.

Jack Kerouac’s “American Haiku” is a short, free verse poem that blends the traditional form of the haiku with the freedom of American expression. Kerouac, a key figure in the Beat Generation, uses free verse to express a moment of quiet intimacy and profound connection. The poem captures a fleeting, almost mystical encounter, conveyed through simple, direct language that is characteristic of Kerouac’s style. The lack of a fixed meter or rhyme scheme allows the poem to breathe naturally, enhancing the sense of spontaneity and immediacy.

Kerouac’s use of free verse here allows for a more organic flow of thought and emotion. The poem’s contemplative tone and the subtle shift in mood from intimacy to revolution reflect the poet’s belief in the transformative power of human connection. The simplicity of the language makes the emotional weight of the poem all the more striking, showing how free verse can create a deep emotional impact without the need for complex structure or formal constraints.

How to Write a Free Verse Poem

• Focus on the theme or subject matter.
• Use imagery and figurative language to create vivid descriptions.
• Experiment with line breaks and stanza arrangements to emphasize key ideas.
• Incorporate natural rhythms of speech rather than formal metre.
• Allow your thoughts and emotions to flow without being constrained by rhyme.