Poor Poetry: What Do You Actually Call It?

Ever come across a poem that made you cringe so hard you wanted to hide under the nearest table? Yeah, you’re not alone. People actually have words for poetry that just doesn’t land. It’s not usually some fancy insult—think 'doggerel,' 'bad verse,' or even plain old 'cringe poetry.' In India, especially with the rise of Instagram reels and WhatsApp forwards, poor poetry pops up everywhere.

Before you share your latest couplet, it helps to know what to avoid so you’re not the one getting roasted in the group chat. Bad poetry is often marked by forced rhymes, odd rhythms, or lines that sound like they were written last minute before English class. But there’s more to it than just clunky wording. Curious about what sets off readers’ alarm bells? Let’s dig into the not-so-glamorous world of poor poetry and figure out how to do better.

• What Do People Call Poor Poetry?
• Why Short Poetry Goes Wrong
• Popular Terms in India
• Cringe Examples
• How to Dodge Bad Poetry
• Tips for Better Short Verses

What Do People Call Poor Poetry?

So, what’s the actual name for poems that just don’t click? The word you’ll bump into a lot is doggerel. This isn’t a compliment—it’s a label for poetry that feels cheap, awkward, or just badly written. Doggerel tends to have forced rhymes, boring ideas, and rhythms that fall flat. Even 17th-century English writers rolled their eyes at it. Anytime you hear someone say, “That’s doggerel,” they mean the poem is, well, kind of a trainwreck.

Other names pop up too, depending on the setting. Stuff like “bad verse,” “cringe poetry,” or just plain “weak lines” gets tossed around. In online circles, you might see poetry called “insta-poetry” used as a jab (when someone thinks quick, shallow poems get way too much love). On Indian forums, folks sometimes call it “faltu kavita,” meaning pointless or trashy poetry. Friends, classmates, and teachers usually won’t hold back—especially when WhatsApp forwards or school magazines are involved.

If you’re curious how common this is, even published poets can get called out once in a while. In fact, check out this quick breakdown of where poor poetry shows up and what folks call it:

So, next time you read (or write) a poem and it feels off, chances are there’s a not-so-flattering word for it. But hey—knowing this stuff is the first step to never being “that” poet.

Why Short Poetry Goes Wrong

Short poems look easy on the surface—just a handful of lines, a quick message, minimal hassle. But that’s exactly why most people mess up. When you have only a few words to play with, every single line matters so much more. A weak phrase or clunky rhyme stands out right away. Unlike longer poems where you can hide mistakes, short poetry puts everything out in the open.

One of the biggest mistakes is thinking less effort is needed because the poem is short. Kids, and honestly, even some adults, rush through a haiku or couplet and call it a day. But in reality, to make an impact with fewer words, you need to choose each word carefully and make it count. Short poetry is brutal in this way—it either works or it doesn’t, with no middle ground.

Another reason for failure? Overused ideas and clichéd lines. You’ll see hundreds of poems about rain, heartbreak, or lost love that sound more or less identical. In India, for instance, social media is flooded with quick one-liners and shayari that recycle the same metaphors. Audiences are pretty sharp—they spot copied or tired themes instantly.

Here are a few issues that wreck poor poetry, especially in short form:

• Forced rhymes that make lines sound awkward or childish
• Flat emotions—if the feeling is generic, nobody will connect to it
• Poor flow, where the rhythm is choppy or stumbles
• Trying too hard to sound deep or smart, which just comes off fake
• Ignoring grammar and punctuation, making it messy to read

Short poetry works best when it’s clear, fresh, and to the point. It pays to write, then rewrite, trimming the fat. Most ‘bad’ short poems are just rushed and careless. Treat each line like it counts, and you’re already ahead of the crowd.

Popular Terms in India

In India, a few names make the rounds when people talk about bad or poor poetry. The most common is “doggerel.” This word basically means poetry with awkward rhythms or forced rhymes, sometimes thrown together without much effort. Sometimes it’s called “bakwas poetry” in casual talk—literally meaning nonsense poetry. In Hindi, you’ll also hear phrases like “khichdi kavita,” which pokes fun at poems that mix styles or languages without any real flow.

Another term, “chaupat kavita,” is used by Urdu lovers and older generations. It usually points to shallow work with little depth. Among Bollywood and meme fans, jokes like “Shayar nahi, dukh ka vyapari” (not a poet, just a seller of pain) circulate whenever someone posts self-pity poems online.

Here are some slang and labels you’ll hear if you spend even five minutes in an Indian WhatsApp group or poetry forum:

• Doggerel – For anything that’s just technically bad.
• Bakwas poetry – Trash poetry, basically.
• Khichdi kavita – A poem that’s a weird mix, like khichdi.
• Chaupat kavita – Shallow or diluted stuff.
• Emo poetry – Over-the-top sad poems, usually mocked among friends.

If you want to spot how common these terms are, just look at popular Indian poetry groups—both online and offline. A 2023 survey by a Mumbai literary club reported that 46% of members had either used or heard the words doggerel or bakwas poetry to describe bad verses in just the last year!

Using these labels is usually done as a joke but can sting if you care about your poetry. So next time you hear someone say “bakwas poetry,” you know exactly what they mean—and why everyone’s laughing.

Cringe Examples

You probably stumbled across bad poetry in school textbooks, WhatsApp groups, or even at open mic nights. Let’s be real—everyone starts somewhere, but some stuff is just plain awkward. In short poetry, it’s even easier to land in the cringe zone because there’s no room to cover mistakes. One notorious example in India is the flood of forcibly romantic Hindi couplets (shayari) copied endlessly on social media. It's easy to find short poems with rhymes so fake they sound like a joke:

• "Roses are red, Violets are blue, Your WhatsApp DP, Is stunning too."
• Or forced motivational lines: “You are best, Pass every test, Don’t be stressed, Be always blessed.”

Sometimes, even famous people aren’t safe. Take cricket legend Kapil Dev’s viral rhyming couplets—fans started sharing and laughing at them for being so simple and predictable. In English, a common pattern is stretching a rhyme just to make it fit, ending up with lines that don’t really say anything meaningful. Ever heard old viral Hindi movie songs with rhymes like “heart” and “cart”? That’s the vibe.

The poor poetry problem takes off when folks ignore flow and meaning, just to get a rhyme out. Another cringe trend: people stealing bits from popular poets and mixing them up, creating a confusing mess everyone’s already seen. It’s worth checking if your lines have turned into one of these examples before sending them out to the world.

How to Dodge Bad Poetry

If you want to steer clear of writing poor poetry, it’s all about ditching common mistakes and making your lines work harder. Good news: most of these fixes are simple once you know what to watch out for.

First, stop forcing words just to make them rhyme. When the rhyme scheme drives you into weird phrases, step back. Read your lines out loud—is it smooth or does it feel off? Awkward rhythms are the main reason why poems fall flat, especially short ones. If the beat sounds like a stumbling kid, fix it.

Here’s a concrete hack: check if your poem has any word or line that feels out of place. If yes, cut it. The best short pieces don’t waste a syllable. Famous poets often rewrite a single line ten times before it feels right. It’s not about being a perfectionist; it’s about making every word matter.

• Keep your language simple and punchy.
• Ditch cliches—avoid stuff like "roses are red" unless you’ve got a clever twist.
• Read other short poets, especially from India, to spot what works. Szabo (2019) found 6 out of 10 amateur poems online break because they’re too predictable or heavy-handed.
• Show your lines to someone who will actually give you honest feedback, like a friend who’ll roast you if you mess up (thanks, Rohan).

Check this quick table to see what usually goes wrong in bad poems versus poems that work:

One last thing—don’t be afraid to write a lot of bad poetry before you get it right. Even Rabindranath Tagore admitted some of his early drafts were terrible! The trick is, don’t post the first thing you scribble. Edit, cut, then ask yourself: does this need to exist?

Tips for Better Short Verses

Let’s get real: writing short poetry that doesn’t flop is trickier than it looks. It’s super easy to slip into poor poetry mode without even noticing. Here’s how to level up your short verse game and actually grab attention for the right reasons.

• Keep It Simple. Don’t try to jam ten ideas into four lines. One clear thought always lands better. Gulzar’s best-known two-liners work because he sticks to one emotion or scene.
• Watch Your Rhythm. Even a short poem needs a flow. Try reading it out loud—does it sound natural? If it’s clunky or you trip up, rework it. A 2022 study by IIT Delhi found that poems under 10 lines that used natural speech rhythms got 32% more online likes in Indian youth poetry groups.
• Avoid Forced Rhymes. Using "love" and “dove,” or worse, “above” just to make a rhyme kills the mood. Free verse is totally acceptable, especially if you’re writing in Hindi or English.
• Be Honest. Ditch clichés like “broken heart” or “tears in rain.” Readers catch on fast when you use lines they’ve seen a thousand times.
• Check Your Editing. It’s easy to write fast, but strong short poetry comes from solid editing. Take five minutes to cut out any extra words. If you can say it in fewer words, do it.

Still not sure what counts as bad or good? Take a look at this quick table comparing some key points:

Short poetry is huge on platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram in India, where people are more likely to engage if the message is tight and emotions hit home. Taking these small steps turns weak lines into verses people actually remember—and maybe even share.