what is a syllable in a poem

In poetry, a syllable is a unit of sound that contains a single vowel sound and may be preceded by zero to three consonants and followed by zero to four consonants. The number of syllables in a word depends on the number of vowel sounds it contains. In the context of poetry, syllables are used to create rhythm and structure within a poem. For example, the haiku has a syllable structure of 5-7-5, meaning the first line has 5 syllables, the second has 7, and the third has 5. Similarly, a cinquain has a total of 22 syllables divided into five lines, with each line having an increasing even number of syllables. Understanding syllables is essential for poets as it helps in creating rhythm and structure within their poems.