Thinking Allowed

One aspect of writing in form at which I'm particularly hopeless is enjambment - part of the exercise here.

Most of the free verse I read seems to adopt the 'arbitrary line break' approach, where the appearance of breaks bears no relation to either whatever rhythm may be present or the semantic content.  Perhaps that's the principal problem - metre/rhythm is seen (and heard?) as an obstacle in free verse, the primary objective being to write stuff as it would be delivered in casual speech rather than as the writer intends it to be read (as poetry). Free verse as casual prose, chopped up into pieces, thrown into the air; replete with lines and stanzas wherever they land.

Perhaps that's why, to my ignorant eye and ear, enjambment presented itself as an unnatural practice, reminiscent of the lack of construction & discipline in free verse. I guess I've come to appreciate that it's actually the opposite - a device that allows the substance of a poem to be presented and expressed in a more natural fashion, within the metrical framework of a form.

In some instances, form poetry that comprises self-contained lines and stanzas can be tediously stilted and soporific, especially in conjunction with a rhyming pattern and perfect feet throughout. Hmm...nursery rhymes - another hole in the heart of my childhood :>

Incidentally, I wondered about L9. In terms of pentameter, I presume that's iamb/pyrrhus/iamb/pyrrhus/iamb. In the context of the line, and after a brief sojourn in the realm of online metrical resources, could it be scanned as secondus paeon/secondus paeon/iamb? Is that a) a variation too far, or b) utter bollocks?