I am going to choose a few previously posted poems this time – chosen especially for my friend Ali Kretschmer and her seventh grade students at LaGrande Middle School. They are studying poetry and I'm excited about participating in that endeavor with them, even if it's from a distance!
In this section, I would like to draw Mrs. Kretschmer's students' attention to some tips that they might like to employ when writing their own poems. (Please see the Other Poems page for some advice about analyzing poetry).
1. Express a thought and/or feeling (or even researched information) in a way that is interesting to you.
Urban Raccoon
RU not more clever
than your country cousins?
RU not one of the most
dedicated animal mothers?
RU not changing your brain
by solving modern problems
in the constant quest for food?
RU sure you're not a primate?
RU?
I wouldn't be surprised
to hear, someday, that
UR.
2. Experiment with alliteration or assonance, but beware of going overboard. You want readers to enjoy the sound of your poem, without being distracted from the message.
IC Who UR Now
ICUR highly intelligent
(and looking the part)
in your distinguished
black robe, deeply
croaking out judgments
R-R-R-ROCK.
ICUR a massive, hefty-billed,
shaggy-throated,
thinner-fingered,
diamond-tailed version
of your smaller,
raspy-voiced relatives.
ICUR not merely a methodical
flapper, but given to
graceful glides and slow
strokes while soaring,
plus an occasional
two-footed hop.
ICUR highly flexible in your
living and dining habits;
nearly anything will do,
but you do it alone
(or with just a partner)
most of the time.
ICUR a literary figure – famous
in folklore, poetry, and
tribal trickster mythology.
What do you make
of your reputation?
ICUR Corvus Corax –
common raven by
name and numbers
only. You’re really
not common at all.
U R-R-R-ROCK!
3. Rhythm is an important element in most poetry; keep it steady - or vary it for interest. It can be a very intentional decision – or you can see how it flows from you “accidentally.”
4. Your line breaks and punctuation will do a lot to convey your rhythm. Use them to help readers make your poem sound the way you intended when read aloud.
Big Blue January Day
My breath is free,
my soul is wide;
I feel a spark
of Spring inside.
Ready for Monday,
come what may,
because of this
BIG BLUE
January day.
Late Summer Fruits
Sweet peach,
the scent of
your fuzzy self
promises that today
my breakfast chin
will drip
with the pleasure
of your company.
One Tough Month
October dials
daylight down
and issues orders
to compliant trees:
Drop. Your. Leaves.
5. Try a bit of repetition – a word, a line, or a "bookend" ending.
Space (for Kylie)
The mysteries
of space
beckon big minds
to ponder
billions and billions
of things
large and small.
Things that matter
about matter,
things that
make up
us all.
Welcome, Winter
Welcome, Winter,
to this place,
with your winds and
flakes of lace.
Did you miss us
much at all?
Did you kiss your
sister, Fall?
Welcome, Winter,
to this place.
Bring your charm and
crystal grace.
6. Try arranging the words in different ways on the page; consider the LOOK of the poem as well as the sound of it.
I
love
this
one
(snowy)
perfectly
imperfect
p o n d e r o s a
p o n d e r o s a
p o n d e r o s a
PINE
PINE
PINE.
7. Invent a word, if you need to – or just because you want to.
*
*
A
*
branchalanche *
occurs when a *
*
boughload of snow
*
suddenly f
*
alls from a tree,
releasing
a shower
of mist,
a cloud
of icy dust.
8. Consider making interesting word choices; use a noun as an adjective, etc. Take an experimental approach; try different options to see which you like best. (When drafting any piece of writing, leave a blank and go on –when you’re not sure what word you need).
Blue Bridge
Tell me, Blue Bridge,
what do you say?
What do you say
on this popsicle day?
Tell me something
that's perfectly true;
tell me for sure that
you'll always be blue.
9. Rhyming can sound good, but it's often difficult to rhyme and say what you want to say; as with all writing, the message is the most important thing. Try NOT rhyming!
10. Will a title contribute to your message – or is it unnecessary?
Driving Along
I see brushy white trees in ravines,
like vertical brows on the craggy
faces of old mountains, and
snow-capped boulders in the familiar
river below are well-worn teeth.