ABAB Rhyme Scheme

Published: August 2017

This collection contains poems that use the ABAB rhyme scheme. The ABAB rhyme scheme is where the ending words of lines one and three (A) rhyme with each other and the ending words of lines two and four (B) rhyme with each other.

19 Examples Of Poems That Use The ABAB Rhyme Scheme

  1. Invictus

    Famous Poem

    We are the master of our destiny. We are responsible for our own happiness. This famous inspirational poem charges us to accept responsibility for our lives no matter our circumstances. Invictus in Latin means unconquered.
    William Ernest Henley (1849-1903), an English Poet, had one of his legs amputated at the age of 17. The poem, which he wrote while healing from the amputation, is a testimony to his refusal to let his handicap disrupt his life. Indeed, he led a meaningful life as a poet and editor until he passed away at age 53.

    in Famous Inspirational Poems

    Out of the night that covers me,
    Black as the pit from pole to pole,
    I thank whatever gods may be
    For my unconquerable soul.

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    Invictus By William Ernest Henley

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    Once I was a good student. I have always been an obedient and gentle person. Then I failed in my life for the first time in the year 2002. Something happened and I fell right from the top and...

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  2. Friends

    Famous Poem

    Abbie Farwell Brown was an American author who lived from 1871-1927. While attending the Girls' Latin School, she created a school newspaper, The Jabberwock, which is still being published today. In the poem "Friends," Brown shares that even things in nature can be children's friends, giving them comfort whenever they fear.

    in Famous Children Poems

    How good to lie a little while
    And look up through the tree!
    The Sky is like a kind big smile
    Bent sweetly over me.

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  4. A Psalm Of Life

    Famous Poem

    This inspiring poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, (1807 - 1882) was first published in 1838. It uses an ABAB rhyming pattern. Longfellow explained the poem's purpose as "a transcript of my thoughts and feelings at the time I wrote, and of the conviction therein expressed, that Life is something more than an idle dream." A very famous line from the poem is, "Footprints on the sands of time".

    in Famous Inspirational Poems

    Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
    Life is but an empty dream!—
    For the soul is dead that slumbers,
    And things are not what they seem.

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    My deceased husband introduced me to this poem 55 years ago, and I've always considered it a great gift.

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  5. The Brook

    Famous Poem

    The Industrial Revolution took place in Great Britain during the late 1700s and early 1800s. As cities grew, living conditions deteriorated for the poor and working class. Factories and mass production were beneficial for some but not everyone. This poem stands in contrast of new manufacturing processes of that time period by focusing on nature. The narrator in this poem, the brook, is personified. The brook shows persistence by continuing to flow, no matter what obstacles get in its way. The repeated lines, “For men may come and men may go, but I go on for ever,” showcase that. Famous poet Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) was named Poet Laureate in Great Britain and Ireland.

    in Famous Nature Poems

    I come from haunts of coot and hern,
    I make a sudden sally
    And sparkle out among the fern,
    To bicker down a valley.

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    I was read poetry to my mother born 1929 in faraway Colombo, Sri Lanka. She loved this poem, and I remember her animated voice bringing the words hidden in the babbling brook to life and the...

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  7. A Nation's Strength

    • By William Ralph Emerson

    Famous Poem

    William Ralph Emerson was an architect and second cousin of the famous poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. In addition to designing many houses and inns, William Ralph Emerson helped to design some of the first buildings at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. In this poem, Emerson reflects on the aspects that make a nation strong. It’s not the wealth, weapons, or pride of a nation. Instead, it’s the determined, brave, and truthful people who are the pillars of a nation.

    in Famous Holiday Poems

    What makes a nation's pillars high
    And its foundations strong?
    What makes it mighty to defy
    The foes that round it throng?

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  8. Dirge Without Music

    Famous Poem

    A “dirge” is a mournful song, and in this mournful poem, Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) shares the fact of life that everyone must die. It doesn’t matter who they are; the same fate comes to everyone. The repetition of “I am not resigned” shows that she does not approve of the reality that everyone must be placed into the ground.

    in Famous Death Poems

    I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
    So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:
    Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
    With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.

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  9. It Might Have Been

    Famous Poem

    Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) uses this poem to show that people have the power to make their own destiny. Most of the stanzas start with “We will (be/do/climb),” which brings attention to the belief that we will each become what we set out to become. This poem is made up of quatrains (four-line stanzas) that follow the ABAB rhyme scheme. Although Ella Wheeler Wilcox was born to poor family and received many rejection letters for her poetry, she remained optimistic and kept working hard for what she wanted.

    in Famous Inspirational Poems

    We will be what we could be. Do not say,
    "It might have been, had not or that, or this."
    No fate can keep us from the chosen way;
    He only might who is.

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  10. So Happy And So Proud

    • By Scott Sabatini
    • Published by Family Friend Poems June 2013 with permission of the Author.

    I've been reunited with the love of my life. The years in between were long and painful.
    Thank you for taking the time to read my poem.

    in I Love You Poems

    Thoughts of you surround me.
    You're the beating of my heart.
    The love you give defines me.
    My life is no longer dark.

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    Poem To Make Your Girlfriend Smile, So Happy And So Proud

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    I love you more than the words on paper can express. I can't live my life without you. You're my beautiful angel that keeps me looking up. You keep me from drowning. I live, breathe, and...

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  11. I Love You

    • By Dave Lawrie
    • Published by Family Friend Poems February 2008 with permission of the Author.

    I wrote this for the girl I love.

    in Poems for Her

    I never really knew you.
    You were just another friend,
    But when I got to know you,
    I let my heart unbend.

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    Honestly, the first time I read this, I was deeply struck. This resembled the time when I was moving on from my crush and then I fell for another girl, who was my friend. I never knew I would...

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  12. My Angel, My Girlfriend

    • By Rick Morley
    • Published by Family Friend Poems July 2008 with permission of the Author.

    This was written for my girlfriend whom I love dearly. I'm a regular 24-year-old fella who has a soft touch for poetry. I hope readers enjoy it and get a sense of feeling from what I have written.

    in Poems for Her

    Some people believe there is one,
    The one who points your way to the sun.
    A person they believe makes them complete,
    The one who will support when facing defeat.

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    My Angel, My Girlfriend

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    My girlfriend's name is Fereshte, and she is in the hospital. We are far, far away because she lives in the city I used to live before. Right now we are thousands of kilometers away, but our...

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  13. You

    • By Bryce Jennings
    • Published by Family Friend Poems December 2007 with permission of the Author.

    I wrote this to my girlfriend. It's easy when you have such a great muse.

    in Poems for Her

    It's that look in your eye.
    It's the smile on your face
    That makes time slip by,
    And I know I'm in a better place.

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    Featured Shared Story

    This is a great poem. I hope you write more!

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  14. Sometimes I Dream That I Can Fly

    I wrote about a child who dreams of flying but in the end finds out it's not all they thought it would be.

    in Poems for Kids

    Sometimes I dream that I can fly.
    I lift and flap my arms just so,
    And soon I'm soaring to the sky.
    Graceful like a bird I go.

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    Thanks, Pat, for your poem. I love the feeling of movement your words create - they really transported me. And I also appreciate your honesty in dealing with the subject of finding and having...

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  15. Best Friends

    • By Alex
    • Published by Family Friend Poems April 2015 with permission of the Author.

    For the best friends who make life what it is...

    in Funny Friendship Poems

    I promise to love you
    When your jokes are not funny.
    I promise to love you
    When you have no money.

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    This poem I sent to my boyfriend, as it is just perfect for me and him.

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  16. Just One Thing I Should Have Said

    • By Ciara
    • Published by Family Friend Poems December 2012 with permission of the Author.

    This is something I should have said to my good friend, but I didn't get the chance as he sadly took his own life. I think about him every day, even dream of him at night! There were no signs of what he was going to do. I always loved him but never told him so. I just wish I had the chance to say goodbye before he had to go.

    in Loss of a Friend Poems

    He is a friend to remember,
    A friend I miss so much.
    I think about all the laughter
    And even the times we'd touch.

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  17. The One

    • By Crystal R. Adame
    • Published by Family Friend Poems February 2006 with permission of the Author.

    From a girl to her mother, a lovely tribute to a lovely mother.
    To my mother who raised me and was there when I needed her.
    I love you!

    in Mother Daughter Poems

    Analysis of Form and Technique

    The one who brought me down to earth
    And held me every day.
    The one who gracefully gave me birth
    And said, I love you in every way.

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    Very good usage of words. Rhyming pattern is good and the structure rocks. One of the best I've read so far. Keep on writing more!

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  18. The Drifter's Melody

    Value all times you have together, for they may end sooner than you think.

    in Goodbye Friend Poems

    The time soon comes for parting,
    And our time is at an end.
    The rest of your life is starting,
    And we have no time at all to spend.

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    Poem For Saying Goodbye And Best Wishes, The Drifter's Melody

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    I'm moving away to a different country to start high school and continue my life. This means that I'll be leaving my best friend behind. We could talk over the internet, but I don't think...

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  19. Forgiveness

    • By Jason Swindle
    • Published by Family Friend Poems October 2009 with permission of the Author.

    Does your love to me belong?

    in I'm Sorry Love Poems

    Baby, you tell me you love me.
    You tell me you care.
    You say you need to have me,
    But all I can do is stare.

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    The same thing as the first comment happened to me my girlfriend cheated on me but she is trying to prove herself to be remorseful and this poem has summed up how I feel perfectly and what's...

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  20. Carnival

    • By Heather McArthur
    • Published by Family Friend Poems June 2016 with permission of the Author.

    This poem was inspired by my 6-year-old daughter. Her delight in the small, unimpressive carnival in our hometown was such a sight! The innocence of the moments of that day stay with me now and forever because I jotted down this poem. I hope it reminds some others of their sweet little children as well.

    in Children Poems

    Skipping through the cool grass
    with eyes shining bright,
    heart beating fast,
    awaiting a magical night.

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  21. My Sweet Savior

    • By Hunter Wortham
    • Published by Family Friend Poems December 2007 with permission of the Author.

    Love can pull you out of the darkest of places. This is my first time writing poems. It was a project for school. This poem is dedicated to my girlfriend of one year. I hope you like it.

    in Poems for Her

    I felt so rejected, alone and sad,
    like an abandoned puppy left to wander a street.
    It was then that I realized that my life was really bad,
    so I disowned every challenge I happened to meet.

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    This poem basically explains me and how I feel from deep down. It reminds me of the dark times before I recently got a girlfriend. When I first got my girlfriend it was like a whole different...

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