There are always rules to be followed,
There are things to be done the right way.
Keep away from the wrong formats,
Like children and dogs avoid doormats.
Write and recite rhymes with large hats.
Poetry has its set of rules,
It is worth following all those little things.
That make a verse rise up and sing.
A lovely verse is a wondrous thing.
There is a poem that must be written,
It is one that must be written the right way,
Rather than in a style that leaves one in dismay.
Words, ideas, rhymes, couplets, inter-play.
The Outlaw poet makes and breaks all rules,
He or she was the disobedient one at school.
The Outlaw poet writes things with no rhyme,
He or she does not care about the rhythm and time.
Rules of Poetry, what rules of poetry,
A couple of lines that speak from the heart,
Are and will always be the essential part,
Of every rhyme that is ever composed,
Like a flowering garden nurtured and hosed.
Thanks @Gloria Horton-Young for the restack.