Poetry

What makes something poetry? What does poetry mean to you? What do you think of when you hear the word “poetry?” How do you write poetry? Is there a right way to write poetry? Is there such a thing as good or bad poetry?

Poetry Poetry has been around for a very long time, this has caused many different types of poetry to be created. There are many differences in the types of poetry and the differences don’t make one better than the other. Poetry doesn’t just mean a short story that rhymes. Many poems do not rhyme, many are long and many do not even tell any kind of story. Some don’t even make any sense, at least not to me.

Different types of poetry There are many different styles and forms of poetry. Each of these styles has its own set of rules. If you want to write a certain type of poetry, then you must learn and follow the different rules that a type of poetry has. You don’t always have to write poetry that follows the rules. You can write your own freestyle type of poetry where you follow your own rules, you might not even have any rules to follow.

Different types of poetry (cont’d) There are many different ways you can write a poem, some of the different forms of poetry are: haiku, limerick, monorhyme, acrostic poems, color and poems about lies. There are lots of other types of poetry, but we are going to just talk about these for our project.

Haiku Haiku - This type of poetry sounds really easy to do at first because it’s only made up of three short lines and you don’t even have to rhyme those lines. This type of poetry comes from Japan where it has been around for many centuries. The main rule of haiku is that your first line must have 5 syllables, the second line must have 7 syllables and the last line must have 5 syllables again and remember, no rhyming. There are even many different types of haiku, if you want to write haiku, try using the Internet to learn about some of the different types of haiku.

Haiku Pink cherry blossoms Cast shimmering reflections On seas of Japan Copyright © Andrea

Limericks This type of poetry came from Limerick, Ireland. Limericks are poems that are funny, sometimes don’t make much sense and rhyming poems. There are five lines in a limerick that rhyme on a a-a-b-b-a scheme. The “a” lines must all rhyme with each other and have nine syllables. The “b” lines must rhyme with each other and have only six syllables.

Limericks The rhythm of the poem should go as follows: Lines 1, 2, 5: weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak Lines 3, 4: weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak This is the most commonly heard first line of a limerick: "There once was a man from Nantucket."

Limericks I am a pretty little flower I am endowed with lots of power when you pick me in green I'll bite you 'cause I'm mean And live to see another hour. Copyright © 2000 Christine Ann Kelley

Monorhyme This is probably the type of poetry you think about when you hear the word “ poetry. ” A monorhyme is a poem in which all the lines have the same end rhyme. This just means that the end of each line of the poem must rhyme with each other.

Monorhyme (cont’d) Late for Class I realized it was half past four When I, quite late, ran out the door. My history class I so abhor, But I missed two sessions the week before. I failed a test on ancient lore And forgot the date of the Second World War. (Man, my brain was really sore.) Up the marble stairs I tore, And slid across a just-mopped floor: I banged my knee and loudly swore, To wake -again- at half past four! These nightmares I can stand no more...

Color poems This is a poem that you write about your favorite color, or least favorite if you want to tell everyone why you don’t like a certain color. You can use analogies, similes or list nouns that are or describe that color. Another form you can use for color poems is to write about a color using the five main senses. Write about what your color looks like, smells like, tastes like, sounds like and what it feels like.

Color poems (cont’d) Green Green is apples, markers, and cool. Green is the taste of vegetables. Green makes me feel envious. Green is the sound of a lawnmower and a sigh. Green is a garden, forest, and a swamp. Green is renewal. Green is beginning again. Green is spring.

Acrostic poems Acrostic poems are pretty easy to start writing. All you do is choose a word that you want to write about, then write that word vertically down your page. The letter on each line will be the start of each sentence. Here is a acrostic poem about eggs: Elegantly and efficiently shaped Good to eat Great fun to find at Easter Smooth shelled

Lies This type of poetry is nothing but a bunch of lies. Not just normal lies, but lies that are as big and bad as you can make them. Each line must begin differently and each line must tell its own lie. Remember, your poems cannot be anything that would hurt anyone’s feelings.

Lies (cont’d) 2 verses of the poem Oops! Oops! Three coffee cups my mother loved Lie shattered on the floor. Three ripe tomatoes splattered When they hit the kitchen door. Three jumbo eggs are scrambled But they’re not on a plate. Three loaves of bread are crumbled I’ll use the crumbs for bait.

Rhyming and poetry There are lots of types of poetry that rhyme and it is very common to see poems that are full of rhymes. This doesn’t mean that all poetry has to rhyme. If you don’t want to rhyme in your own poems, then you don’t have to, unless you want to write a certain type of poetry that requires rhyming.

Summary of poetry As we have seen, there are many types of poetry and certain types of poetry. A lot of poems rhyme and a lot of poems don’t rhyme. The type of poem you choose to do can have a lot of influence on the poem you end up writing.