What is Poetry?
Do poems rhyme?
Well, some of the time.
Sometimes, poems bounce along,
A leaping, skipping, hopping song.
And then again, in others’ hands,
They sway and saunter, meander and retreat.
Some are short. To the point. A punchline
To make us laugh.
Sometimes, evoking donkey rides,
And tea and toast, and homecomings.
Or season’s end, decay and death and yearning.
Some tell stories, rollicking yarns
Of highway men and railway cats.
Others are impenetrable as swirling mists.
And though their meaning hides behind obscure words,
Our hearts race.
Well, some of the time.
Sometimes, poems bounce along,
A leaping, skipping, hopping song.
And then again, in others’ hands,
They sway and saunter, meander and retreat.
Some are short. To the point. A punchline
To make us laugh.
Sometimes, evoking donkey rides,
And tea and toast, and homecomings.
Or season’s end, decay and death and yearning.
Some tell stories, rollicking yarns
Of highway men and railway cats.
Others are impenetrable as swirling mists.
And though their meaning hides behind obscure words,
Our hearts race.
This poem is copyright (©) Gaynor Andrews 2026
About the Writer
Gaynor Andrews
Gaynor was a primary teacher for many years, teaching in schools across the UK, as well as Thailand and France. She now lives in the Scottish Highlands, writing educational resources by day and stories and poems by night. Gaynor loves the rhythm of language and she has a particular passion for rhyme. Her debut rhyming picture book, Pandora and the Story Forge, published by Rocket Bird Books 9/24, celebrates the power of words and the magic of stories.
