The method we use in writing poetry is personal , powerful and and often positive . Propelled by emotions and experience it is always an enigmatic explosion of what makes us tick .
Ignorance is the want of an education . Expression of the written word needs to be explored and we need skills to discover the spark within our subconsious mind .
Poetry is what gets lost in translation ~Robert Frost
Education is not the filling of a pail , but the lighting of a fire .
See your poetry - Metaphors
Words and images are metaphors with movement like living breathing water. Being in control of metaphors is like turning on a water tap . Feelings have a role to play in writing poetry .
For example "I feel so sad .
How can we describe sadness and what does sadness look like - Does sadness have a sound .
When we write about feelings and things we can't see, we want to create good pictures that people can see in their minds
Examples
"The Poet Pencil"
Once upon a time a pencil wanted to write poetry but it didn't have a point. One day a boy put it into the sharpener, and in place of a point, a river appeared.
By -Jesus Carlos Soto Morfin, Age 8
Is there really a river there ?
My pen is a spade – I dig with it – Seamus Heaney as a boy .
What does it all mean ?
Images, feeling metaphors are like living breathing water.
If you turn your water tap on flowing metaphors will pour out into poetry . Trust the poem you can see in your mind like living breathing water let it flow .
Feelings are a good device when using metaphors like anger, love, memory, silence, jealousy, wisdom, hope, loneliness .
What kind of pictures do these word portray in the mind ?".
Close your eyes and imagine how they feel .
Can you see your poetry begin to flow as you feel the emotion stir within you .
My Examples
I See Poetry
By Paul McCann
Anger is a wild wind chained to my wrist .
Love's a landslide falling over a cliff .
Silence is a closed curtain round the room .
Memories are like seeds about to bloom .
Jealousy cuts friendships just like a knife .
Wisdom are mirrors reflecting through life .
Hope is a new light where the darkness fell .
Loneliness is a cave where hermits dwell .
Nonsense poems
Nonsense poems are funny poems that tell of made-up creatures or of impossible things happening. They often use invented words.
Shape poems
A shape poem, or concrete poem, is a poem that looks like the thing that it is about. You can find other shape poems in:
· What Shape is a Poem? edited by Paul Cookson
· The Upside Down Frown edited by Andrew Fusek Peters
Rhyme
Poems rhyme when the ends of the lines sound the same. Look at a rhyming dictionary to find examples of rhyme.
Rhythm
Many things in our lives have a regular pattern, like our heartbeat, or the tick of a clock. Poets often use pattern, or rhythm, to give life to their poetry.
Riddle poems
In a riddle poem, we have to guess what the subject is from the clues in the poem. To find other riddles, look for:
· Monika Beisner's Book of Riddles
· Hey Riddle Diddle: A Book of Traditional Riddles edited by Rodney Peppe
Story poems
A narrative or story poem is a poem that tells a story. Some other narrative poems to look for are:
· 'Derek in Heaven' by Benjamin Zephaniah, in his book Funky Chickens
· 'Hot Food' by Michael Rosen in his book The Hypnotiser
'Snowball' by Shel Silverstein, in his book Falling Up
Stage a performance of the poems resulting from the activities or display them at school
Counting poems
Fruits by Valerie Bloom is a counting poem. In this kind of poem, each verse includes a different number. You might already know songs that do the same thing, like 'Ten Green Bottles'. Valerie Bloom is a poet from the Caribbean. In this poem she uses lots of words from the Caribbean.
I have written out a prescription for picking up the run down mews , so if you feel yourself in need of some inspiration maybe the following process might help .
Process Of Writing Poetry
Step 1
· Choose Theme or Topic Of Your Poem
Examples – Nature , Family and friends , Sport , People and Places
Religious , Seasonal , r.g. Winter Summer Autumn and Spring .Holidays and festivals
Step 2
· Brainstorm Your Theme or Topic
Example – Explore all aspects of the theme you have chosen for your poem and write down all your thoughts for possible inclusion in your poem .
Step 3
· Choose A Poetry Structure
Examples – Alphabet in Sequence , Acrostic , Alliteration , Cinquain , Haiku, Mirror Loop . Limerick , Fourword , Sonnet , etc.or even make up one of your own .
Step 4
· Use correct meter and look at style .
Example . Have the last word in each line of the poem rhyming with the same syllable count or break your poem up into different stanzas or verses .
Step 5
· Add Detail and description
Example - Consider rewriting and editing your poem as this will ensure a greater value to the words you are using and allow depth in your expression .
Add imagery by introducing each of your senses to the poem .
Step 6
· Try other resources
Example – Dictionary and thesaurus for spelling checks and meanings , Library books for more research on your theme . The Internet has a list of poets and their work . For instance , My site Poetry Structures
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~poems/ps/
If your writing still refuses to flow , don't give up .
What ever you do never despair .
Help is out there .
Do something about it .
Try something different , it always works .
Unlock those memories and you'll discover new pathways .
Let your poetry walk .
You'll see it can talk .
Go for it .
Until next time , write on .
By Paul McCann
