The Best Short Rhyming Poetry

Ranker Books
Updated July 1, 2023 2.2K votes 924 voters 29.6K views
Over 900 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Short Rhyming Poetry
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Vote up the best short rhyming poems for memorization.

Not all poems have to rhyme. But the best short rhyming poems are examples of why the classic style is still so universal. These simple rhyming poems are all under 25 lines or less. 

Easy rhyming poems often sound like a song. As children, we are exposed to this kind of poetry through greats like Dr. Suess. Some of these short poems that rhyme are children’s poems, others are all about falling in love, while others center on the hardships of life. 

You will no doubt recognize a few famous poets on this roundup, like Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson. However, there are also several more obscure rhyming poems that are equally impressive and deserve to be read among the classics.

Make your voice heard. What are the best short rhyming poems? Vote up all your favorites.  

Most divisive: Acquainted with the Night
  • 1
    471 VOTES

    Life Madness

    Life gets faster every day,
    No time to think, no time to play.
    Hurry, chaos, lots of stress,
    Tension leads to sleeplessness.

    When will all this madness cease?
    Where is free time? Where is peace?
    I'm running, doing, till I drop.
    Give me buttons: Pause, Mute, STOP!

    • Author: Joanna Fuchs
    471 votes
  • 2
    210 VOTES

    What Are Heavy?

    What are heavy? Sea-sand and sorrow;
    What are brief? Today and tomorrow;
    What are frail? Spring blossoms and youth;
    What are deep? The ocean and truth.

    • Author: Christina Rossetti
    210 votes
  • 3
    211 VOTES

    Be Proud Of Who You Are

    I come with no wrapping or pretty pink bows. 
    I am who I am, from my head to my toes. 
    I tend to get loud when speaking my mind. 
    Even a little crazy some of the time. 
    I'm not a size 5 and don't care to be. 
    You can be you and I can be me. 
    I try to stay strong when pain knocks me down. 
    And the times that I cry are when no one's around. 
    To error is human or so that's what they say. 
    Well, tell me who's perfect anyway.

    • Author: S Raine
    211 votes
  • 4
    195 VOTES

    Nothing Gold Can Stay

    Nature’s first green is gold,
    Her hardest hue to hold.
    Her early leaf’s a flower;
    But only so an hour.
    Then leaf subsides to leaf.
    So Eden sank to grief,
    So dawn goes down to day.
    Nothing gold can stay.

    • Author: Robert Frost
    195 votes
  • 5
    145 VOTES

    A Simple Plan

    Simple Sam was a simple man.
    He lived each day by a simple plan.
    Enjoy your life and live while you can.
    Make each day count and take a stand.

    Stand on the left or stand on the right,
    Whichever one you think is right.
    Live each day as if your last.
    Life's too short and gone too fast.

    • Author: Irwin Mercer
    145 votes
  • 6
    119 VOTES

    Forever

    Forever we remain oblivious to the future, 
    lost to the past and enduring our torture. 
    Forever we take chances to settle our scores, 
    losing some battles and winning some wars. 
    Forever praying out loud hoping someone will hear, 
    forever crying softly but never shedding a tear. 
    Forever exists behind a disguise, 
    but the belief in forever keeps our hearts alive.

    • Author: Terri Nicole Tharrington
    119 votes