Growing up studying the Arabic language which is known for its poetry and the importance of people memorizing that poetry I was first introduced to it in Arabic long before I ever came across a poem in English. As a Muslim we read and recite the holy Quran which is a book of phenomenal well structured, well balanced lines of very eloquent language with many poetic devices. When I first read an English poem which was “5 monkeys jumping on the bed” I remember I enjoyed it was also balanced and the rhyme and rhythm were great. As I grew up reading poems in school throughout middle and high school poems became so boring and harder to understand and basically no bars. I used to read Romantic Arabic poems and poems of about war and injustice they were so passionate and I loved them. So because of my experience I developed a criteria for myself of what sounds like a poem and I know it’s not a good thing to do but if I’m gonna write a poem it has to sound like a poem if not, it will sound horrible. When I wrote my first poem about free speech I was looking into lists of rhymes and trying to make it sound good and articulate which was a long process. However after watching my classmate Tomas craft a poem in a few minutes I was amazed especially when the professor told us there are not rules. I read a couple more of poems that my cohort members wrote and actually enjoyed them even though they didn’t rhyme. I learned that poetry doesn’t necessary have to have rules other than be an impressive piece that resonates with its readers. I look forward to reading poems as much as crafting my own in a different style.