ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Free verse

Okay, kiddo, so do you know what poetry is? It's like words that are written in a special way to create a special feeling or image in your head. Now, imagine that instead of the poetry rhyming and having a certain pattern, it's just like somebody is speaking to you in a normal conversation. That's what we call free verse.

So, free verse is a type of poetry where you don't have to follow any special pattern. It's just like talking normally, but in a way that makes you feel different emotions. Some people like to use free verse because it gives them more flexibility to express their ideas and feelings, without having to worry about following a certain set of rules.

Now, there are still some special things about free verse that make it different from just talking normally. For example, poets might still use special words or phrases to create a certain mood or feeling. They might also break up their lines and sentences in a certain way to create a rhythm. But overall, the main idea is that free verse is like poetry without any rules, kind of like when you're playing pretend and you can be whoever you want to be.