Hi there Hive account@king-wenceslaus! Welcome, and thanks for the compliments!

I too want to leave the past works in the past, but since I don't want to start off with my newest stuff, this seemed like a good place to start.

English is not my first language, but I have studied and spoken in for the past 22 years, so it should count for something , I guess ( a B.A. in English language and literature helps :) )

Now, to answer your questions:

• no, this was not originally written in meter, it was blank verse, so I tried to translate it as such.
• this was written before I started attending university, which was in October 2003;
• other than primary + middle school, where we occasionally had to write poems for homework or something (which were usually four-line stanzas that rhymed ABCB or ABAB), I was never taught to write in meter.
• I did dabble in iambic pentameter for a couple of years, mostly inspired by lectures at uni.
• I do love the idea of modern poetry written in meter, even in rhyme! it seems to me that blank verse has become such a cliche lately, since everyone has been (over)using it! I myself tend to use traditional poem patterns - e.g. villanelle, sonnet, etc., to explore a more modern sensibility and topics.

so, Hive account@king-wenceslaus, bring it on! I'd love to read some of your metered poems!

Have an awesome day!