A few weeks ago I shared with you my rules for writing. Today I would like to share some tips on writing poetry. I am in no way an expert at writing poetry, but I do enjoy creating a poem or two when the mood strikes. It is a different way of writing than short stories and novels.
Poems tend to attempt to capture a moment or a feeling that you have experienced. A poem centers on the minutia of the experience, not the big picture.
Some poems attempt to communicate to the reader an emotional response. The ability to make this connection is a very powerful way of writing.
Here are my tips for writing poetry:
- Just as you do with other forms of writing, reading many different poems teaches you about what poems need to be successful – such as, the rhyming, the meter, and the lyrical sounds of poems.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment with different forms of poems; there are many forms that you can try. Sometimes a limerick is right for your poem, and at other times a narrative style is better. Experiment.
- Think about painting with your words. Use more concrete words that appeal to the senses rather than abstract words. Be generous in using imagery in your writing.
- The use of metaphors and similes is encouraged in poems.
- Rhyme with caution. It’s alright not to have a rhyming poem, but it does need a rhythmical form with meter and cadence.
- Read your poems out loud making sure that it sounds like how you want it.
- Lastly, I find it best to wait a few days to review what I have written so I can revise it if needed .
- Enjoy what you are writing.
Here’s a recent poem I wrote about experiencing a terrible storm;
Showers of April
By Marie Staight
The showers of April can be cruel.
The sirens sound alerting every fool,
“Tornado!” They cry, “Seek shelter!”
The clouds grow dark, full of helter-skelter.
The winds grow still
Day turns into night to fulfill
The promise of what is near
Little drops of rain appear.
Then splats of water droplets
Sound like rockets
Indiscriminate of where they land
Gathering momentum like a military band.
The clouds let loose their waterfalls
Down come the water’s walls
The wind blows the rivers sideways
This way and that, the rain splays.
A veil opaque, concealing all
The world disappears in the squall.
Lightning rains down its terrors
Thunder roars and the grounds tremors.
The wind, the wind blows in circles
Like a fast carousel, it encircles.
Lifting all that is not locked down
Into the sky, up to the clouds’ crown.
The noise, the noise is like a freight train
The din reverberates so loud it is profane
Crushing all that is in its way
Tossing homes, and cars, and trees astray.
The horror moves onward,
Leaving in its wake mayhem’s ache,
The rain loses its stride
The winds subside.
The showers of April can be cruel
All that’s left is the wail of fools
That found no shelter
When came the helter-skelter.
Yet, we all know that April Showers
Bring the flowers
The baptism of rain gives us tomorrows
And rebirth replaces grief’s sorrows.