Ranger12 May 2006

I wouldn't worry too much about the syllable count, to be honest. It's more important that you get the rhythm right by working out syllable stress - the easy way to figure this out is to see if a reading of your poem requires you to pronounce a word differently to normal. Also, I wasn't sure whether or not to say earlier, but don't force the words into the rhythm. 'I want a heart that is new' feels like the sentence has been strung out to fit the rhythm. The best way to get round this is to enjamb the lines.
Good luck with your writing - this site is an excellent place for learning to both read and write poetry. Actually, that's the other thing I should say - developing skills at reading poetry is vital for writing. Poemranker offers the chance to do both.