15+ Standout Block Form Poems

(15 to start, 50+ to explore)

Block form, also known as strophic form, is a poetic structure where each stanza is a self-contained block of lines with uniform length, meter, and sometimes rhyme scheme.

The stanzas are usually separated by line breaks, creating a visual block on the page. Block form poems allow for a clear, structured presentation of ideas, and each stanza can serve as a distinct unit of thought.

These poems are commonly used in ballads, hymns, and narrative poetry. The block format helps in emphasizing the rhythm and musicality of the poem, making it easy to remember and recite.

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"> 81/100

Sick

by Shel Silverstein

Within ‘Sick’ Shel Silverstein crafts a humorous story of one child’s attempts to stay home from school. The poem explores the themes of deceit, obligations, and joy.

The block form in 'Sick' consists of continuous lines of text without stanza breaks, giving the poem a flowing, uninterrupted appearance. This form mirrors the frantic and breathless nature of Peggy's exaggerated list of ailments, enhancing the sense of urgency and drama in her excuses. The unbroken structure also reinforces the poem’s humor by maintaining a rapid, whimsical pace throughout.

"I cannot go to school today,"

Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

"I have the measles and the mumps,

A gash, a rash and purple bumps.

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"> 76/100

The Blossom

by William Blake

‘The Blossom’ by William Blake illustrates that even the natural world is imbued with a range of emotions, as is seen through the robin, the blossom, and the sparrow.

The poem adopts a block form, with two sections contained in the same stanza. They are closely related yet can stand independently. This form effectively allows for the contrasting emotional states to be presented in close proximity.

Merry, merry sparrow!

Under leaves so green

A happy blossom

Sees you, swift as arrow,

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"> 70/100

Tell all the truth but tell it slant

by Emily Dickinson

‘Tell the truth but tell it slant’ by Emily Dickinson is one of Dickinson’s best-loved poems. It explores an unknown “truth” that readers must interpret in their own way.

The poet composed this piece in a single stanza, making it a great example of a block form poem.

Tell all the truth but tell it slant —

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth's superb surprise

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"> 68/100

The Fish

by Elizabeth Bishop

‘The Fish’ by Elizabeth Bishop is considered to be one of her best poems. In it, readers can find some clues about her personal life.

This is a block form poem, meaning that all the lines are contained within a single stanza of verse. The poet chose to avoid using line breaks in order to tell a cohesive, flowing story.

I caught a tremendous fish

and held him beside the boat

half out of water, with my hook

fast in a corner of his mouth.

He didn't fight.

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Loving Someone You Can't Have

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"> 66/100

The Spring

by Thomas Carew

‘The Spring’ by Thomas Carew is a poem about unrequited love in spring. The poet mourns the fact that no matter the season, his beloved does not love him.

Though this piece is written using the block form where all the grouped together into a single stanza, it can be divided into two halves thematically. Overall, the form holds the lines together to create an uninterrupted flow to the second half.

Now that the winter's gone, the earth hath lost

Her snow-white robes, and now no more the frost

Candies the grass, or casts an icy cream

Upon the silver lake or crystal stream;

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"> 62/100

Opportunity

by Edward Rowland Sill

‘Opportunity’ by Edward Rowland Sill is a narrative poem that describes an imagined or real battle and a unique opportunity that presents itself.

'Opportunity' is presented in a block form, meaning it is written in a single unbroken paragraph without formal stanzas. This form suits the continuous flow of the narrative, emphasizing the progression of events in a straightforward manner.

This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:--

There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;

And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged

A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords

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"> 61/100

Crabbed Age and Youth

by William Shakespeare

‘Crabbed Age and Youth’ by William Shakespeare is an interesting poem that speaks about the differences between age and youth.

This poem is written in block form, meaning that all the lines are contained within a single stanza. This is something that's very common in Shakespeare's poems, but he usually wrote in the sonnet form, and this poem is only 12 lines long.

Crabbed age and youth cannot live together:

Youth is full of pleasance, age is full of care;

Youth like summer morn, age like winter weather;

Youth like summer brave, age like winter bare.

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"> 61/100

The Peace Pipe

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

‘The Peace Pipe’ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is the second part of the epic poem ‘The Song of Hiawatha.’

The continuous, unbroken stanza structure in the poem not only maintains momentum but also imparts a certain gravity to the narrative. This form ensures that the tale unfolds seamlessly, carrying the reader along every piece of the poem smoothly.

On the Mountains of the Prairie,

On the great Red Pipe-stone Quarry,

Gitche Manito, the mighty,

He the Master of Life, descending,

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"> 60/100

A New National Anthem

by Ada Limón

‘A New National Anthem’ is a prose poem expressing disapproval of the National Anthem, especially the part that was conspicuously removed.

This is a block form poem, meaning that it is contained within a single stanza of verse. Ada Limón's ‘A New National Anthem’ is a good example of a block form, but many poems are more fitting.

The truth is, I’ve never cared for the National

Anthem. If you think about it, it’s not a good song.

#10

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"> 60/100

Time

by Allen Curnow

‘Time’ by Allen Curnow is a highly relatable poem that depicts time through a series of metaphors that personify it.

This poem is contained within a single stanza of text, the main feature of block form poems. This piece is a good example of a block form poem that uses a standardized rhyme scheme, in this case, AAABBBCCC, and so on.

I am the nor-west air among the pines

I am the water-race and the rust on railway lines

I am the mileage recorded on the yellow signs.

I am dust, I am distance, I am lupins back of the beach

#11

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"> 60/100

To the Ladies

by Lady Mary Chudleigh

‘To the Ladies’ by Lady Mary Chudleigh talks about how marriage rids the woman of her person and attaches her importance to the one she is married to.

This is a block form poem that is contained within a single stanza of text. The poem is made up of 24 lines and uses a combination of couplets and tercets in order to craft a unique rhyme scheme.

Wife and servant are the same,

But only differ in the name:

For when that fatal knot is tied,

Which nothing, nothing can divide:

#12

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"> 58/100

London Snow

by Robert Bridges

‘London Snow’ by Robert Bridges describes an early morning snowfall in London and the reactions of those who walk within it.

‘London Snow’ is written in block form, meaning it does not have separate stanzas or clear breaks between ideas. The poem flows as one continuous piece, making it feel smooth and unbroken, much like the snowfall it describes. This form helps create a sense of movement, as the snow falls gently and steadily, covering the city in a soft, unending layer.

When men were all asleep the snow came flying,

In large white flakes falling on the city brown,

Stealthily and perpetually settling and loosely lying,

Hushing the latest traffic of the drowsy town;

#13

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"> 57/100

The Heart Block Poem

by Undefined Poet

‘The Heart Block Poem’ is a short, four-line poem that was written in order to help medical students and medical professionals remember the degrees of heart blocks.

The poem uses block form, presenting medical information about heart blocks in a direct and organized way, which makes it easier for readers to understand these complex concepts. This structure is perfect for educational purposes because it delivers detailed information clearly, focusing on each aspect without needing traditional poetic elements like rhyme or meter, helping readers retain key facts effectively.

If the R is far from the P, then you’ve got a 1st degree!

PR gets longer, longer, longer, drops, it’s a case of Wenckebach!

If some R’s don’t get through, prepare to pace that Mobitz II!

If the R’s & P’s don’t agree, prepare to pace that 3rd degree!

#14

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The Voice of the Ancient Bard

by William Blake

‘The Voice of the Ancient Bard’ by William Blake explores the nature of truth and the perils of straying from a path of wisdom and clarity.

The poem is written in block form, meaning it is a single stanza with no breaks. This structure makes the poem feel continuous, like a speech or a lesson being given all at once. The lack of separation between ideas reinforces the urgency of the bard’s message, as if he is speaking directly to the youth without pausing. This style helps the poem flow smoothly, making it feel more like a wise teacher guiding the reader toward truth and wisdom.

Youth of delight! come hither

And see the opening morn,

Image of Truth new-born.

Doubt is fled, and clouds of reason,

#15

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"> 56/100

A Castle-Builder’s World

by Christina Rossetti

‘A Castle-Builder’s World’ by Christina Rossetti describes an empty and inauthentic world. It serves as a warning against spiritual emptiness.

The poem follows a traditional block form. It does not use stanzas. Instead, the entire poem is contained within a short, ten-line stanza that has a rhyme scheme (which adds to the structure).

Unripe harvest there hath none to reap it

From the misty gusty place,

Unripe vineyard there hath none to keep it

In unprofitable space.

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15+ Standout Block Form Poems

(15 to start, 50+ to explore)

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15+ Standout Block Form Poems

(15 to start, 50+ to explore)

by Shel Silverstein

by William Blake

by Emily Dickinson

by Elizabeth Bishop

by Thomas Carew

by Edward Rowland Sill

by William Shakespeare

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

by Ada Limón

by Allen Curnow

by Lady Mary Chudleigh

by Robert Bridges

by Undefined Poet

by William Blake

by Christina Rossetti

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