Roses are red, violets are blue...

...poetry's good in stories, too!

Okay, it would take a little more than a "roses are red..." poem to be good enough for a story, but you get the idea. Used correctly, poetry can be a great tool for a writer. Used incorrectly (or just bad or random poetry) and it's a heavy blow to your story. Take, for example, the below poem, used with the author's permission:

Apple, bear, snake

Carrot, pie, cake

Jump in the lake

Happy milkshake

Learn how to bake

Then eat a rake

Step on the brake

Blue pepper steak!

                                                 ~ Elizabeth GoldenThistle

That isn't by any means her best poetry, but it makes a great example. However, bad poetry can be funny in the right circumstances, like the below example from my Wizard101 fanfiction:

There once was a fiery old scarecrow

He could knock out a wizard in one blow

His name was “Harvest Lord”

But he must’ve been bored

Because he had nowhere to go.

                                                                         ~ Emma IceCrafter, the Greatest Treasure

In most cases, though, bad poetry is a daring move that doesn't always have good consequences. Good, serious poetry can be used in many ways: a song, an ancient inscription, a morbid prophecy...Oh, by the way, anyone who's read enough of my work knows that I LOVE morbid prophecies. They really set the tone for the story, adding a lot of great atmosphere to it. Take, for example, one of my favorites, from my recent contest:

Intruder who is not of death

Wait and watch your doom befall

For you will fade to a mere breath

Because death is master of them all.

A cold will come, chilling your bones

As death pervades your body and mind

You'll join the ghosts in silent moans

It was a mistake to come, you'll find.

But if you are of death, rejoice!

For you are noble, shrewd, and clever

You'll help us to complete our choice

To end the other schools forever.

                                                 ~ Mission: Mansion, Task 5

And then there's the riddles, which deserve, and will get, a whole other post of their own.

Whichever way you choose to use your poetry, have fun with it! And remember: go beyond roses are red, violets are blue.

~ Sophia-Rose