Poetry/Photoshop Elements Project
T
he following pages are ideas for poems that you may use for our latest
project. Some are serious, some are humorous, and some are somewhere in between! Each of the poem ideas has at least one example to help you
get started.
Remember, in poetry there are no rules. Have fun, get creative, and most of all, write from your heart. I take no credit for any of these poetry forms. Most have been around for a very long time. They are, however, the ones I have enjoyed using as springboards for my own creations.
The _______________________ Th ing About …
The ____________thing about _________________ Is that ___________________________________
It is ______________________________________
And ______________________________________ And ______________________________________ And ______________________________________
But the __________thing about ________________ Is that _____________________________________ Example:
The Important Thing About Owning a Dog The important thing about owning a dog Is that I suddenly have a best friend It is a way to erase loneliness
And guarantee something to do On Friday nights
And to walk on Saturday mornings And someone to snuggle up to
But the important thing about owning a dog Is that a special friendship is formed.
Try the same pattern with: The exciting thing about…
The regrettable fact about… The incredible news about… The terrible truth about… The awful thing about …
The unbelievable thing about
Word Association Poem Instructions: 1. Number your paper from 1-10. 2. “Free associate” with each word, writing down the first word that pops into your minds in connection with the numbered word. 3. The first column of words is then crossed off to avoid confusion and you freeassociate one more time using the second column of words as a springboard. 4. Then write a ten line poem; line one of the poem will contain both words opposite column one (in any order), and so on. The poem is then given a title and centered on a page. Example: Given words 1. Love 2. Hate 3. Heaven 4. Death 5. Friend 6. Feeling 7. Future 8. Life 9. Dream 10. Eternity
Sample Response Bitter Anger Clouds End Trust Touch Wonder Breath Nightmare Forever
Sample response to response Sweet Rage Feeling Begin Honor Soft Land Life Fear Love
My Love Sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet I’m often filled with anger and rage Clouds of feeling, pure and white Begin and end upon a page Trust and honor fill my heart His touch so soft upon my mind I wonder in what time or land His breath of life in me will wind Without him nightmare, fear abounds In his love forever sounds
1st Stanza
I Am Poem
I am (two special characteristics you have) I wonder (something you are actually curious about) I hear (an imaginary sound) I want (an actual desire) I am (the first line of the poem repeated) 2nd Stanza I pretend (something you actually pretend to do) I feel (a feeling about something imaginary) I touch (an imaginary touch) I worry (something that really bothers you) I cry (something that makes you very sad) I am (the first line of the poem repeated) 3rd Stanza I understand (something you know is true) I say (something you believe in) I dream (something you actually dream about) I try (something you really make an effort about) I hope (something you actually hope for) I am (the first line of the poem repeated) Sample I am a nutty guy who likes dolphins I wonder what I, and the world, will be like in the year 2020 I hear silence pulsing in the middle of the night I see a dolphin flying up to the sky I want the adventure of life before it passes me by I am a nutty guy who likes dolphins I pretend that I’m the ruler of the world I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders I touch the sky, the stars, the moon, and all planets as representatives of mankind I worry about the devastation of a nuclear holocaust I cry for all the death and poverty in the world I am a nutty guy who likes dolphins I understand the frustration of not being able to do something I say that we are all equal I dream of traveling to other points on the earth I try to reach out to poor and starving children I hope that mankind will be at peace and not die out I am a nutty guy who likes dolphins Persona Poems First…choose a topic: Abstract qualities: freedom, truth, beauty, hope, love…
Feelings or emotions: fear, joy, anger… Concrete topics: baseball, music, disease… Directions: Write a poem in which you become the topic you have chosen. In this style of poem, you are personifying the topic you pick. Read the following poems that have been written in this style. You can see that there are many different ways to approach this poem. War I am war, And death is sure to follow the path which I have made; I’m the sound of trampling feet over unfamiliar land; I can be total destruction or a single shot; I cause the flight of surrender and the taste of sweet revenge; I linger as a puddle of blood beside a once brilliant man; I am the hand that no longer has an arm; I am war. - Carla Starns Spring I am spring, A canvas of color Sprung from the sun. Spreading my wings, I conquer winter’s chill. Carrying laughter in my pockets, I whisper warm breezes Through the cool nights. -Ms. Roberts
Fear I am fear; I linger in the hearts Of even the bravest men; The essence of my being Rips at the thoughts And minds of all Like vultures tearing away At rotten meat; I am fear; Even my foul name sends Chills and terrifying dreams Through the souls of young And old alike; This pleases me. For I know that I will Always live; I cannot be stopped As long as there are Empty houses, And dark hallways, And lonely alleys, I shall exist As long as there is The black of night I will be Waiting for you. - Clint Dryer
Five W’s and an H For this poem you will need to answer some questions about one of your pictures: Who? What? Where? When? Why and/or How? The subject you choose may be a
person, an animal, something from nature, any of your pictures will work. A simile, metaphor, and/or personification are recommended. Example: My picture shows me with my daughter when she was a baby. We are in the redwood forest and she is chewing on a piece of bread and smiling as I smile back at her.
The Two of Us On the property in Cazadero In a wise, old redwood grove Sprawled upon our tattered blanket Inhaling the pine-scented breeze One of us teethes on a soft, well-used crust of bread We smile at each other Early April morning Wildflowers dot the meadow Like foil-wrapped chocolate eggs We snuggle together -Ms. Roberts
Simile: Comparison using like/as. Ex: The clouds were like cotton balls. Metaphor: Direct comparison. Ex: The clouds were cotton balls. Personification: Gives human qualities to things which are not human. Ex: The snow hugged the mountain.
Past, Present, and Future In this poem, you capture moments you recall from your past. Then, moments of your world today, in the present. Finally, what you hope for your future. Past Warm blankets Pretty dresses and bows Little toys Crawling carelessly around Free to play Without worries or cares Blue eyes Strawberry blonde hair All smiles Happy – Never crying Determined To climb, walk and run Playfully Digging in the warm sand Enjoying The sun and salt water Present Growing up No more dresses and bows Friendships Shopping here and there Free to be Without worries or cares Happy still Enjoying everything in life Music blasting Carefree days at the beach Sunshine Catching wave after wave Determined To get all I can from life Future Moving away And seeing more of the world Acting, Singing Meeting different people Astronaut Exploring our universe Risk taker Scuba dive, Sky dive Settle down Or at least a little
If I Were… If I were a _____________________________ I would be (a) _________________________ ______________________________________ Directions: Choose one of the following words to fill in the first blank in the given phrases. In the second blank you should write whatever you think best describes what you (or your subject) would be if you were a type of car, animal, etc. Use as many descriptive words and phrases as possible in describing the object or living think that you would be. Write on at least six of the following: Word list: Color Weather condition Season Animal Spice Cartoon character Piece of furniture Room in house Super hero car food place sound song magazine time of day emotion flower book beverage candy country spice tool gem or precious stone, or metal planet river board game famous person sport a TV show or movie …and anything else you can think of!
Example: If I Were‌ If I were a time of day, I would be dusk, Ready to relax into the night. If I were a color, I would be the sky just after a rain, Peeking through the clouds that melt away. If I were a book, I would be a mystery, Not easy to figure out, but possible if you try. If I were a country, I would be Russia, Filled with many different states (of mind). If I were an animal, I would be a house cat, Well taken care of, but still independent. If I were a spice, I would be curry, A blend of many different flavors.
Five Senses In this poem, you choose a topic – it could be a concrete topic such as Soccer, or an abstract one such as Hope. See the example below to guide you in this six-line poem. Example: Excitement Excitement is gleaming gold It tastes like cotton candy It sounds like a babbling brook It smells like popping firecrackers It looks like a bright fire’s glow Excitement feels like the hush of the audience before the curtain rises.
My House ~ a free verse frame Rewrite the existing lines and fill in the blanks with whatever you think fits, for you. This is the house Where I live. This is where _____________________________ _____________________________ This is where _____________________________ _____________________________ This is where _____________________________ _____________________________ And you can hear _____________________________ And you can see _____________________________ And feel _____________________________
Example: This is the house where I live. This is where… I raised my children and watched them grow up. This is where… I cook our meals, Garden when time allows. This is where… I prepare lessons and projects, Spend time with my husband. And you can hear hummingbirds outside the kitchen window, And you can see a well-loved and comfortable home, And feel the warmth of those inside. Cinquain A cinquain is a simple, five-line verse that follows a specific pattern. Structures: Line 1: one word of two syllables (usually a noun hat names the subject of the poem) Line 2: four syllables (often two, two-syllable adjectives describing the noun in line 1) Line 3: six syllables (often three-ing words also describing the noun in line 1) Line 4: eight syllables (a phrase or sentence about the noun in line 1) Line 5: two syllables (a word or two that renames the noun in line 1) Examples: Earthworm Earthworm Wiggly, slimy, Creeping, slinking, searching, Slithers silently on his way Slowpoke! Sneakers Threadbare, worn-out, Fading, shredding, reeking, Ahh! Finally comfortable! Old friends.
Mischievous Apologies… Have you ever had to apologize for something that you weren’t really sorry you did? One of America’s greatest poets, William Carlos Williams, wrote the following classic poem of apology. This is Just to Say I have eaten the plums that were in The icebox And which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were so delicious so sweet and so cold. Here’s one I wrote, using his as a model: This is Just to Say I have read the letter that was on the desk And which you were probably saving to send Forgive me it was so captivating so personal and so private.