Q&A for How to Write a Sestina

There are no length requirements. Just try to keep the lines close to the same length, and use line breaks to your advantage.

Yes, poetry can be about anything!

A sestina should not rhyme. You'll need to select 6 words which should not rhyme. However, you can internally make a rhyme in a sentence. That is fine and acceptable.

Any sestina in which the pattern is broken somehow. The end words may not be put in the correct lines, or may sometimes be omitted, or may be put in the middle of the line instead of the end - anything that breaks the rules. A pentina may also incorrectly be called a broken sestina.

The first sestinas are attributed to Arnaut Daniel, who wrote in the Occitan language in the 12th century.