Let’s Write Poetry
So much of our lives involves following rules.
If it’s okay with you,
I’m not going to give you rules to follow
or tell you how to write poetry.
We might talk about kinds of poetry that other people have written,
but I don’t want to create boundaries for your creativity.
No one else has had your experiences.
Nobody thinks exactly the way you think
or feels just how you do.
No one else can create the miraculous
combination of words that only you can.
All I want to do is to encourage
your special one-of-a-kind perfection
to come out and dance in its magic.
“All you need is your imagination,
some paper, and a nice, sharp pencil.
Unless, of course, you’re happier using a keyboard.”
— Nana Posy
I created this Poetry Journal in case you would like to use it as a special place to write your poems.
It is available on Amazon, but I will send a free copy to the first ten kids who contact me and ask for one. I will NOT keep your address after I send you the journal.
It all begins with an idea.
Let’s do this!
Please pick one of the pictures below,
and write a poem about it.
Your poem can be long or short.
It can rhyme or not rhyme or partly rhyme.
It can be serious or silly.
Nobody cares except you and me.
And I care only that you are being a poet today and doing what poets do (I think!).
You are taking a tiny piece of the magic swirling around in your brain and making a written record of it.
I’m going to be quiet now.
Ready?
Set?
Go!
Did you find a picture that inspired you to write a poem?
I hope so!
I tried, too, because I am also working to become a better poet. My hope is that I learn something every time I try.
Can you tell which picture inspired the poem I wrote?
My Turn!
Stay right there, you soccer ball.
I finally get a turn.
My selfish brother six feet tall
never lets me learn.
How will I ever teach my feet
to run with ball between?
How will I aim it at the goal
to score for my home team?
Let’s play and practice, you and me
I won’t kick you hard
’Cause you and I have miles to go
across this grassy yard.
© 2020 Nana Posy
Please make sure you write your poem in the special place we talked about before.
If you used a computer, please make sure you save your poem.
I PROMISE you, it will be wonderful to read your poems again.
And the older you get, the more wonderful it will be.
Hello again, My Fellow Poets!
Are you ready for your next writing challenge?
Let’s call this challenge:
Simile + easy = “Simileasy” as Pie!
Okay! Before we start writing…
Surprise! I love kids!
Double surprise! I also love words!
Amazing fact of the day––when I am creating something with WORDS for KIDS, I am as happy as a clown in a nose shop!
Did the words, “happy as a clown in a nose shop” paint a picture in your head?
Did the image you thought of look anything like this?
I’m guessing your image was different than the one you see here. So, here’s one of the magical things about words:
That combination of words, “happy as a clown in a nose shop” will paint as many different pictures in people’s imaginations as there are people who read the words.
When you write a poem, the words you choose are like paintbrushes and paints. Each word and every word combination you write will cause different images to form in your readers’ imaginations.
One of the ways poets help us to see the picture they are trying to paint is by using a simile. They point out similarities between two things by using the words “like” or “as.”
“Simileasy” as Pie!
We probably agree that when someone reads your poems, they will imagine different pictures in their heads.
This is because people are as different as…
No! I am not going to say “snowflakes.”
(Too many times we have heard people
compare things to snowflakes to say they are unique!)
I am going to say…
Zebras! People are as different as zebras!
When we look at a herd of zebras we might think they all look the same, but if we look closely we can see differences that make each zebra’s coat unique!
No two zebras have the same stripes!
I love that, don’t you?
When you compare two things that are not alike (people and zebras, for example), and you use either the word “as” or “like” to make that comparison, that is called a simile.
And here is the best part!
You can put similes in your poems!
By adding a simile or two to a poem, you can paint better images…images that help people understand something about what you are trying to describe.
That’s “simileasy” as pie!
Let’s practice thinking of a few similes, and then I’ll give you some ideas for writing a poem that uses similes. It might seem difficult as first, but your amazing brain will start finding it easier and easier the more you practice.
The elephant was as gray as _____________________ .
You might have picked one word to compare to say how gray the elephant was,
or it might have been a phrase.
For example, the elephant was as gray as mud.
Or, the elephant was as gray as my grampa’s hair after a rainstorm.
Let’s try another one. We’ll use “like” this time instead of “as” in order to compare.
She skipped along the sidewalk like _________________.
Did you choose one word this time?
She skipped along the sidewalk like a sprite.
Or did you choose a phrase?
She skipped along the sidewalk like a ruby-colored fall leaf chased by the wind.
Here are some more chances to practice writing similes.
The crow on the telephone line was as noisy as ________________.
The puppy stretched out to sleep like ___________________.
We were as hungry as ________________ when we got home from our hike.
Puffy white clouds drifted in the sky like ____________________.
The desert sun, like _____________, beat down on the tired camel’s back.
As quick as _______________, the chipmunk darted up the oak tree.
Like _________________, my Uncle Brad dozed in his favorite leather armchair.
Okay, Poet!
You can choose one of the pictures below, or write a poem about anything else in the gigantic, beautiful world we call home.
I am only asking you to include at least one simile in your creation.
Have fun!
(Did that sound like I was telling you what to do?
I’m sorry. PLEASE have fun!)
By now you probably figure that I enjoy a challenge.
You probably knew I wouldn’t be able to resist trying to write a poem, too.
Hopefully, the images I painted with words lead you to one of those pictures!
— Nana Posy
Hello, Winter!
I fell asleep to autumn breeze,
Wool blankets shoved down to my knees.
Fall cricket’s gentle serenade,
as sweet as Grandma’s lemonade,
ushered in my dreams.
But when I woke, goosebumps galore,
discovered fall was here no more.
Like laundry sheets spilled on the ground,
Snow covered, muffled every sound.
White crystal winter scene.
©2021 Linda Rittenhouse
Have you ever noticed how images stay in our thoughts? Even days, weeks, or years later we can still recall images from our past. Our brains have the astounding ability to take these thoughts and images from our past and mix them with something happening in the present.
That happened with me and that snowy picture from the six choices I gave you in the “Simileasy” Challenge. Something about that image stayed in my mind and mixed with thoughts about Santa Claus and Christmas.
Remember, we poets can dream up any silly version of reality that we want as we play with words.
So, I let my imagination go wherever it wanted to with that snowy picture and the holiday season that was swirling around us, and wrote a poem called “SantaBella.”
You can find “SantaBella” under the “Read Poetry” tab. I hope you like it, My Friends.
Hello, Poets!
Ready for a new challenge?
Choose as many or as few words as you like from the lists below.
To make the lists I randomly opened a dictionary and pointed to
words in each letter section. (x gets an “ex” word)
The columns are roughly sorted into verbs, nouns, and adjectives.
Combine words any way you like to create a poem.
Your poem can rhyme if you want.
It can have a rhythm or a pattern of sounds if you want.
It can be long or short.
It can be realistic or ridiculous.
Serious or silly.
Happy or sad.
No limits.
Just find the words that tickle your fancy
in this moment
and create a poem
by you, just for you.
(You might want to share later or just keep
it for yourself, but make sure to save it in
your special writing place.)
Ready?
Set?
Go, my friend, go.
I believe in you.
clatter brick empty
jabber mosquito hopeful
irritate tornado spotted
splutter olive vast
whisper dimple appalling
interrupt goat juicy
hide fable lucky
notify kernel painted
rewind quest unbelievable
zoom venture explosive
Hello, Poets!
I just realized that I never took this challenge with you!
It doesn’t seem fair to ask you to write something if I don’t also try.
So, here is my VERY serious and scientific poem,
The Spotted Goat.
(I think I used 17 of the words on the list in one form or another.)
I hope you enjoy reading it!
The Spotted Goat
Out hiking with my parents,
one sky-vast summer noon,
I chanced upon a creature
wearing painted purple moons.
This spotted goat had dimples.
I swear to you that’s true.
I saw them clear as just-washed glass
while he nibbled on my shoe.
He thought the leather juicy,
the flavor just his taste.
He ate the toes and heels and then
he started on the lace.
My Mother yelled, “Appalling!”
And then she spluttered, “Stop!”
But I only whispered, “Hello, My Friend”
as I patted his hairy top.
My Dad cried, “Unbelievable!”
His words explosive clatter.
But I knew having a buddy goat
is a quest that really matters.
For fable says, “A lucky goat
will find a fortunate few.
Never interrupt him if
he wants to eat your shoe.”
My parents turned tornado
as they zoomed across the trail.
The last I saw of my lucky goat
was his hairy spotted tail.
© 2021 Linda Rittenhouse
Can you believe it’s 2022?
Let’s write a poem about the New Year!
Let's start out the New Year by writing a poem about it!
The year 2022 has a nice ring to it, don't you think?
So, if we wanted to use that musicality of the word
itself to create a poem, we would have a head start.
Your poem doesn't have to rhyme, of course, but if you
were to want to create a rhyming poem, you can borrow
one of my techniques if you would like.
Choosing the word "TWO" as one I want to rhyme the
end of some lines with, I would write it at the top of my
paper. Then I would let my brain know what I was asking
of it by going through the alphabet to think of other words
that rhyme with "TWO." I wouldn't care if they were real
words or not. I just want my brain to start its magic.
two
aoo
boo
coo
do
eoo
foo
goo
hoo
ioo
joo
koo
loo
moo
noo
ooo
poo
quoo
roo
soo
too
uoo
voo
woo
xoo
yoo
zoo
Once my brain starts clicking,
I go back over this first list and add real words that rhyme and try to spell them correctly.
Once I find a spelling pattern that seem to repeat, I give that group their own column.
I start with single syllable words, then think of some longer ones.
two
aoo achoo anew ado
boo blue brew blew bamboo
coo clue chew crew canoe cuckoo
do due drew dew
eoo
foo flue flew fondue
goo glue grew gnu
hoo hew
ioo igloo
joo
koo knew kazoo kangaroo
loo
moo
noo new
ooo
poo Peru
quoo
roo
soo shrew stew shampoo
too true
uoo untrue
voo
woo who
xoo
yoo yew yoo-hoo
zoo zippity-doo
You can have fun and add words you might know from other languages.
bijou/bijoux (French for jewel/jewels)
chou/choux (French for cabbage/cabbages)
You can get silly and add words that aren't even real words,
but nobody cares because words are magical,
and sometimes it's fun to dream them up
and play with how they sound!
Don't forget to write your poem in a special place where you can keep it.
Happy 2022, My Friends!
P. S. I wrote a poem, too because I always want to challenge myself
and try to become a better poet.
You can find the poem I wrote under the “Read Poetry” tab.