Today, I sat me down to ponder br Why I write like this: br Four metric feet, first line of text, br And three feet in the next. br This sing-song meter ambles on br From line to line, and then, br A rhyme is put, delightfully, br To have the stanza end. br br From where the rhythm and the style? br From where I caught the rhyme? br I thought back to my schooling days, br And poem-reading time. br br Ancient Mariner is one br That I remember well: br Its rhyme and rhythm still come through, br As clearly as a bell: br br Then, Shakespeare and the other greats, br Who wrote iambic lines, br Influenced me so subtly, br Their style, my pen defines. br br 'America the Beautiful' br Has meter, style, and grace; br And most of us are wondered by br Its thoughtful, moving pace. br This four-feet, three-feet meter fits br So well in verse or song, br We memorize it easily br And sense it when it's wrong. br br It's this bound verse that captured me, br Poetic pen and all: br It's why I write iambic lines, br And have myself a ball. br br This iambic tetrameter, br Trimeter in line two: br I write it for the pleasure br And enjoyment given you,,,, br And me!br br Frank V.