Abandoned Farmhouse

“Abandoned Farmhouse” is written in unrhymed free verse organized into three stanzas of eight lines each. Though it doesn’t follow a set formal pattern, most of its lines include five stressed syllables, making it sound like the natural iambic pentameter of conversational speech. It is an accessible and familiar rhythm presented in an orderly form.

The surprises in the poem’s form occur within the lines. The syntax of some of the sentences is eccentric, falling into a pattern not unlike those of fairy tales or nursery rhymes. “He was a big man, says the size of his shoes” (Line 1) and “A woman lived with him, says the bedroom wall” (Line 9). The pattern becomes an effective structuring mechanism as it repeats throughout the poem.

Enjambment presents more significant challenges. Splitting phrases further breaks syntax and creates a pause. “He was a big man, says the size of his shoes / on a pile of broken dishes by the house” (Lines 1-2) and “A woman lived with him, says the bedroom wall / papered with lilacs and the kitchen shelves” (Lines 9-10). All three stanzas begin with this surprise break. There’s nothing to indicate the description will go on, but it does. It doesn’t obscure meaning, but it does potentially subvert expectations. Other instances are easier to anticipate. Line 18 ends with the beginning of a sentence: “Stones in the fields” that carries over to the first part of the next, “say he was not a farmer” (Line 19). This too becomes a structuring device.

The overall effect is a weakening of the impression of order. There are stops and starts—moments where a connection hovers before connecting. In this way, the form of the poem echoes some of its core themes.