Generally speaking, the "rules" of poetry are far more
relaxed than the rules of prose. As far as structure goes
(quatrains, stanzas, length of lines, etc.) the poet is allowed to do whatever he or she
wants. If you are the composer, there is no limit to what you are "allowed" to do.
Quatrain simply means "4 lines." These lines can be any length,
rhyme and/or have a metered rhythm, or not.
Many people
read poetry in the same way they might look at abstract or modern art. They assume that
the thought behind it is very simplistic and often respond with something like, "Well,
anyone could do that." Be careful. Though the rules of poetry are more relaxed, they
still exist. I advise you to consider that although poetry often
appears to be without rules, the basic rules of grammar are still
present, they are just more lenient. This means, for example, that if you decide
not to follow typical punctuation or capitalization rules, if you
omit words or deviate from standard verb tense, or if you write without thought of
standard English grammar, you should have a reason for doing so. A
quick example is to consider that a line break can be used to create a pause, which
might be visually more pleasing to you than a comma. This is
acceptable.
It is very difficult to give advice about
poetry because it varies so much and judging "good poetry" is as subjective as judging
art. As you seek to develop yourself as a poet, I encourage you read other poets' work
and write a lot. As you do, play with form, appearance, sound, structure, and rules.
But keep in mind what you intend to get across with your poem. Do things purposefully,
even if they only make sense to you at the time. And don't be afraid of several
revisions to one poem. The best poets do not write a poem in a
day.
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