does it have to rhyme?

in your mind- your opinion...does poetry have to rhyme? i personally don't think so, but i've had people tell me that it would be better if it did. i think that if forcing your thoughts to rhyme, may actually ruin your original intentions, what's the point? what do you think??? please- i'd love to hear your stand on this. thanks!

*deep breath*

Those people are...weird. Just weird.

Rhyming is optional to the poet's style. And you're absolutely right....don't force yourself to write something that you want to "flow" because it won't.

Peaces. //Ari\\

Not necessarily, depends on what your writing and also type of poetry form (if any is used). Some of the best poems out there do not rhyme.

Steve

As far as I go, then it does. It seems as though if I dont rhyme in my poetry, then it doesnt come out good, so..

Most of my poems ryhme because I dont feel like they flow enough without it. You dont need ryhme but in my case i feel it works better

some of my poems do. and some dont. what i think might help is have some parts that rhyme and fit in you poem well rhyme. in my poems where if it was an all rhymeing one i dont have a rhyme. i have some parts rhyme and some dont. Hell my best poem on here doenst have much rhymeing but ppl love it. its called ha ha your dead if ya wanna check it out. no its not a mean poem ya just have to read it to get why its titled that. c ya.

i dnt fink it really needs to just go with what your happy with

Poetry doesn't have to rhyme. Its the feeling and emotion you put into the poem that counts. Of course, yes, it can rhyme, but, no, it doesn't have to!

It's nice with a few rhymes in a poem, but more importantly is to get a nice flow in the words so they work well togehter, if you begin to force rhymes you'll just ruin it if it doesn't come by itself.

...no

Your poetry can be whatever you want it to be. It may rhyme, it may not. It may makes sense, it may not. Nobody can tell you how you should write your poetry. That's why it's yours.

I agree with Steven Beesley. (especially since I find it hard to rhyme)