As we write poems, we will utilize the writer's craft we have learned throughout the year. This is the time to let figurative language blossom! Description is wonderful in poetry when you see things in a new and creative way.
Mentor Poem: a poem that inspires the reader for one reason or another
Here are two poems that Mrs. Biggers likes. This one reminds her that parents and teachers together help a child become all they can be. It has two 8-line stanzas using AABBCCDD rhyming patterns. The last stanza only has 6 lines, but it continues the rhyming pattern of the first two stanzas.
WHOSE CHILD IS THIS --author unknown
"Whose child is this?" I asked one day
Seeing a little one out at play
"Mine", said the parent with a tender smile
"Mine to keep a little while
To bathe his hands and comb his hair
To tell him what he is to wear
To prepare him that he may always be good
And each day do the things he should"
"Whose child is this?" I asked again
As the door opened and someone came in
"Mine", said the teacher with the same tender smile
"Mine, to keep just for a little while
To teach him how to be gentle and kind
To train and direct his dear little mind
To help him live by every rule
And get the best he can from school"
"Whose child is this?" I ask once more
Just as the little one entered the door
"Ours" said the parent and the teacher as they smiled
And each took the hand of the little child
"Ours to love and train together
Ours this blessed task forever."
This next one encourages perseverance when things don't go the way we want them to. It follows the truism that "Quitters never win."
DON'T QUIT --unknown
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must; but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow;
You might succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit;
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
Couplets: a 2 line stanza (verse) where the last word in each line rhyme with each other; A poem can contain several couplets or just one pair of lines.
Cinquain: a 5 line poem that describes a noun; The first line is your noun (1 word). The 2nd line includes two adjectives that describe the noun from line 1. The 3rd line has 3 "ing" words that describe what your poem is about. Line 4 is a phrase that tells more about what you're writing about and how you feel about it (4 words). Line 5 is a synonym for your title (1 word).
Clerihew: a whimsical 4 lined poem where lines 1 & 2 rhyme with each other and lines 3 & 4 rhyme with each other (AABB); The first line usually names a well-known character. The second line ends with a word that rhymes with the character's name. They should be funny, but appropriate and good-natured. This style was invented by Edmund Clerihew Bentley (1875-1956), a popular English novelist.
Diamante: a 7 line poem that follows the rules below and takes a 'diamond' shape.
Line 1: noun
Line 2: two adjectives describing the first noun (L1)
Line 3: three adjectives that describe the first noun (L1), all ending in "ing"
Line 4: four words- two regarding the first noun (L1), two regarding the synonym/antonym (L7)
Line 5: three adjectives that describe the synonym/antonym (L7), all ending in "ing"
Line 6: two adjectives describing the synonym/antonym (L7)
Line 7: synonym/antonym of the first noun
Acrostic: a poem where the first letter of each line spells a word vertically; The most boring acrostics are name acrostics. If creative juices are used, these poems can be quite interesting. They are best when a story is told from beginning to end.
Haiku: a very short form of Japanese poetry with 3 lines (5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables);
It is like a photo that often, but not always, connects two unrelated things. They are often about nature or the changing seasons, but they manage to show emotion & draw attention to small things. Using as few words as possible, precise words are the key. It's similar to photography or a painting, utilizing the power of observation. You've done a great job editing when your comparison makes the strongest impression with the fewest words.
Concrete: a poem that takes the shape of the object about which it is about
Alliteration (Tongue Twisters): a poem where almost all of the words begin with the same letter of the alphabet (or with the same sound)
Limerick: a funny 5-lined poem where the last words of the 1st, 2nd, and 5th lines rhyme with each other and the 3rd &4th lines rhyme with each other. (AABBA)
Sensory: a 7 line poem where the first line names a feeling and relates it to a color. The next 5 lines describe each of the five senses (for example: "It smells like...”)
The final line repeats the feeling from the first line and adds an emotional description.
Here's another style of sensory writing. It falls under freestyle as well, because it doesn't have a rhyme or rhythm, but there is a pattern. The first line takes the reader to a special place the poet has been. It could be a special place or it could be a common place, like the grocery store, but the reader needs to feel the experience through your description of all five senses. That's all there is to it. (see, hear, feel, smell, taste) You must use all 5 senses.
Quatrain: a stanza (verse) with 4 lines and a rhyming scheme; A quatrain is only one verse. A quatrain poem can have any number of stanzas in it. They tell a story--sometimes sad, sometimes funny. Rhyme is VERY important. (We will cover two rhyming schemes: AABB & ABAB. There are two more rhyme schemes for those who want to go beyond what is required - ABBA and ABCB.)