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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/1775
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

It sounds like you're asking how to write poetry that people will like, which is not an easy question to answer. Writing is a form of communication, so of course you're going to want other people to read what you write and enjoy it, or at least react to it. But you need to start by writing poetry that **you** like. Trying to guess at what other people are going to like and write based on that is an inexact science at best and it doesn't guarantee that anyone will like your poetry. I could tell you "people like kittens, so you should write poems about kittens" or "people like rhyming poems," but not all people like those things. Even if the majority of people did like rhyming poems about kittens, if it's not something you care about, you'll have a tough time convincing anyone else to care about what you've written.

One of my writing teachers encouraged us to read poetry aloud, both our own and peoms by other writers. I've heard poetry described as music for the speaking voice. The sound and rhythm of the words in a poem is important. If you're not good at hearing how a poem will sound in your head, try reading your work aloud to get a sense of how it sounds. Your readers should be able to get the rhythm of your poem just by reading it, since you're not going to be there to tell them how it should sound. The way a poem sounds is even more important when you're writing free verse, since you don't have a structure to adhere to and it's completely up to you to figure out a meter and words whose sound and meaning will both compliment what you're trying to say.

Original score: 2