Rhyme (Couplet and Bout Rimes)

Most people think of rhymes when they hear the word "poem". A true rhyme consists of two words that end in the same sound. "Bright" and "light" is a true rhyming combination.

The Semantic Rhyming Dictionary

Poets often use rhymes in different ways to create patterns in their work. The simplest rhyming pattern is the COUPLET. A couplet is a two line rhyme.

"I scraped my knee
On that tree"

. . . is a CLOSED couplet, which is to say, that it contains a complete thought.

"I took a good look at my hand.
Inspected each finger, and"

. . . is an OPEN couplet. The thought runs into another verse:

"Payed close attention to my thumb.
Then I thought, 'This is dumb!'"

Back in the days before video games, TV, and roadtrips, some people would entertain themselves by doing BOUT-RIMES. This is when someone provides a list of rhymed words and everyone else would use the words (in any order) to create a poem. It didn't matter whether the poem made sense or was completely silly, as long as all the words were used.

For practice, use the following list of words to make a poem of couplets:

wood / hood
white / bite
run / sun
cold / mold
hope / rope

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