Read this excerpt from the poem "Monet's 'Waterlilies'" by Robert Hayden.

Here space and time exist in light

the eye like the eye of faith believes.

The seen, the known

dissolve in iridescence, become

illusive flesh of light

that was not, was, forever is.

O light beheld as through refracting tears.

Here is the aura of that world

each of us has lost.

Here is the shadow of its joy.

What is the best evidence that this poem is written in free verse?

The poem is written in free verse because it does not follow an exact rhyme scheme. Such pattern can only be found when there is a specific set of meter that gives the rhythm of the lines. For example, in the second stanza above, the words "tears," "lost" and "words" do not rhyme at all. So, there is no pattern here.

Explanation:

A "free verse" is considered a more modern type of writing a poem. It is also regarded as an "open form verse." It does not follow a regular metrical form, therefore, it doesn't follow an organized rhythmic pattern. It also uses a conversational way, which seems like the poem is talking to the reader.

Examples of free verse poems are: "The First Time We Kissed" (Kelly Roper), "After the Sea-Ship" (Walt Whitman) and "Free Verse" (Robert Graves).