Lesson:
We created our own poems in class today. If absent please write three poems in at least two of the styles listed below. There is lots of room for creativity.
Enjoy! Have fun! Write poems!
HMWK:
3 poems (2 different styles)
Classmate poem
Bio Poems
Examples:
Kate.....
tall, energetic, happy, intelligent
mother (daughter, friend, etc.) of Danny
who loves music, books and fresh air
who is afraid of clowns, spiders, and heights
who wants to see Latin America, the end of poverty and summer
resident of this moment
.....Thompson.
Caleb Dog-Bone
Energetic, studious, silly, optimistic
teacher of many
who loves knowledge, new ideas, and all four seasons
who is afraid of an empty house, reruns of Lost, and apathetic
citizens
who wants to see the future, the world, and smiling students
resident of room 536 and B8
… Kostechka
Line 1: your name/nickname
Line 2: four adjectives which describe you
Line 3: __ of __ (describing an important relationship you have like son of ___, daughter of ___ sister of ___ friend of ____, lover of ____)
Line 4: three things you love
Line 5: three things that scare you
Line 6: things you want to see
Line 7: a time or place you are in
Line 8: your last name
_________________ .....(first names)
____________, ____________, _____________, ____________
____________ of ____________
who loves ____________, ____________ and ____________
who is afraid of ____________, ____________ and ____________
who wants to see ____________, ____________ and ____________
resident of ____________
..... ________________. (last name)
Noah
cheerful, willful, independent, kind
son of Gretchen and Cary
resident of Eugene
Who reads Where the Wild Things Are, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Green Eggs and Ham, and Go Dog Go
Who likes umbrellas, Mary Poppins, and They Might be Giants
Who loves his family, his friends, and his guitar
Who wishes he could fly, eat only crackers, not brush his teeth.
Who admires the big kids across the street, his teachers, and his Uncle Pete
Who needs naps in the afternoons, graham crackers at 5:30, and his tiger
Who aspires to be a rock musician, a rabbi, or a gymnast
Lieberman
(first name)
(four words that describe you)
Relative of (list three close family members)
Resident of (place where you live)
Who reads (four books)
Who likes (three things you like)
Who loves (three things you love)
Who wishes (three things)
Who admires (three people)
Who needs (three things you need)
Who aspires to (at least two aspirations)
(last name)
I’m mellow
Not a go lay in a sunny field
chewing a stick of gum mellow
Not mellow enough to give a bum
all my money
Not mellow enough to sit on an
ocean yacht and drink lemonade
But just a sit in the air-conditioned
living room watching reruns mellow
Mellow like a nothing do Saturday
morning
Mellow like watching your cork from
the banks of a cool country pond
A do what I want mellow that takes no effort or planning.
adapted from Jimmy O’Daniel’s poem, “Mellow”
Line 1: your mood
Line 2: an example of how your mood does not feel
Line 3: another example of how your mood does not feel
Line 4: a third example of how your mood does not feel
Line 5: another way of describing your mood
Line 6: an example of how your mood does feel
Line 7: another example of how your mood does feel
Line 8: a third example of how your mood does feel
(Need help finding a mood, see the list below!)
Metaphor Starter Poems
Examples
Belief is a doorway
Opening, Closing
Always thinking
You have the truth
But not really knowing
Children are shooting stars
Their love burning bright
Morning snuggles, evening kisses
Arms wrapped around you tight
And then the grow up
Pull away
Shining on their own Forgiveness is a bridge
From where I stand
All filled with rage
Mad at you but hurting myself
Only when I leave behind my anger
Can I come back to you
Choose one of the many metaphors from the list below or write your own.
Then use the metaphor as the starting line of a short poem.
Sleep is a stone
Belief is a doorway
Fear is cold water
Evening is a crooked highway
Parents are blankets
Friendship is a seesaw
Summer is a sleepy turtle
Amazement is a mirror
Jealousy is a razor
Dreams are hollow logs
Anger is a palace
People are windows
Loneliness is an empty streambed
Love is a fountain
Morning is a bridge
Anger is a rope
Fear is a hummingbird
War is an old car
Limericks
I raised a great hullabaloo
When I found a large mouse in my stew,
Said the waiter, “Don’t shout
And wave it about,
Or the rest will be wanting one, too!”
-anonymous
There was a Young Lady whose chin,
Resembled the point of a pin;
So she had it made sharp,
And purchased a harp,
And played several tunes with her chin.
-Edward Lear
There once was a fellow named Tim
Whose dad never taught him to swim.
He fell off a dock
and sunk like a rock.
And that was the end of him.
There was an old man with a beard
Who said, “It is just as I feared!-
Two Owls and Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren
Have all built their nests in my beard.”
-Edward Lear
There was an old man from Peru
Who dreamed he was eating his shoe.
He awoke in the night
with a terrible fright,
and found out that it was quite true.
Structure:
A limerick is a 5-line poem with a set format for rhythm and rhyme.
Rhyming Pattern:
When you write a limerick, make sure that it has the same AABBA rhyme pattern. The first, second, and fifth lines all rhyme and the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other.
Rhythm Pattern:
• The first, second, and fifth lines all have this rhythm pattern: da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (notice there are 3 DUMS or beats). Say, “There once was a fellow named Tim” out loud. Now say, “da DUM da da DUM da da DUM” out loud. Notice that both have the same rhythm.
• The third and fourth lines have a different rhythm pattern: da DUM da da DUM (notice there are 2 DUMS or beats). Say, “He fell off the dock” out loud. Now say “da DUM da da DUM” out loud. Notice that both have the same rhythm.
1. There was an old man from Peru, (A)
da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (3 DUMS)
2. who dreamed he was eating his shoe. (A)
da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (3 DUMS)
3. He awoke in the night (B)
da DUM da da DUM (2 DUMS)
4. with a terrible fright, (B)
da da DUM da da DUM (2 DUMS)
5. and found out that it was quite true. (A)
da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (3 DUMS)
Write your own…
Now try it yourself! if you need a template, you can use one of these, or try doing it on your own.
There once was a ________________ from _______________________ (A rhyme)
That ______________________________________________________ (A rhyme)
Each time it _____________________________________________ (B rhyme)
The ____________________________________________________ (B rhyme)
And _______________________________________________________ (A rhyme)
I once knew a __________________ from _______________________ (A rhyme)
Who ______________________________________________________ (A rhyme)
S/he ___________________________________________________ (B rhyme)
And ____________________________________________________ (B rhyme)
That __________________from ________________________________ (A rhyme)
Cinquains
Dalmatian
spotted, happy
running, barking, jumping
a wagging tail on the end
Fire Dog!
triangles
pointy edges
revolving, rotating, angling
Triangles are all different.
180°
Cats
fluffy fur
a rough tounge
cute as a button
purring
War
Sad, destructive
Killing, injuring, destroying
A thing that kills life.
Terminator
by Saud (last name unknown)
River
Clear, wonderful
Slapping, whirling, flowing
The river is cold.
Water
by Miki (last name unknown) Horned horse
Magical, real
chasing, nuzzling, prancing
Gateway to imagination
Uni
by Mr.K
Structure:
Line 1: A word for the title (two syllables)
Line 2: Two words to describe the title (four syllables)
Line 3: Three words to express action (six syllables)
Line 4: Four words to express feeling (eight syllables)
Line 5: The title again, or another word like it (two syllables)
title
describe title
action action action
feeling about the title
title
Diamante Poems
Studies
Unhappy, difficult
Boring, succeeding, sleeping
Library, pencil, card, outside
Interesting, exciting, failing
Happy, easy
Play
by Soo Young Love
Wonderful, beautiful
Caring, liking, thinking
Innocence, smile, tear, guilt
Fighting, violating, disgusting
Terrible, worst
Hatred
by Mooil
Dreams
Subconscious, imaginary
sleeping, wishing, thinking
fantasy, actuality, vision, genuine
being, seeing, knowing
authentic, factual
Reality
Winter
Frosty, Bright
Skiing, Snow Ball Fighting, Sledding
Icicles, Snowflakes, Vacation, Family
Swimming, Sun Tanning, Sweltering
Hot, Sunny
Summer
Structure:
The diamante poem is a seven-line poem in the shape of a diamond and compares two words, moving from one word to its opposite, like from winter to summer or work to play.
noun
describing describing
action action action
transition nounds or phrase
action action action
describing describing
noun Line 1: noun
Line 2: two adjectives
Line 3: three participles
Line 4: four nouns or phrases
Line 5: three participles indicating change
Line 6: two adjectives
Line 7: contrasting noun
Odes
Ode to My Socks
by Pablo Neruda
(Translation by Robert Bly)
Maru Mori brought me
a pair
of socks
which she knitted
herself
with her sheepherder’s
hands,
two socks as soft
as rabbits.
I slipped my feet
into them
as though into
to cases
knitted
with threads of
twilight
and goatskin.
Violent socks,
my feet were
two fish made
of wool,
two long sharks
sea-blue,
shot through
by one golden thread
two immense
blackbirds,
two cannons:
my feet were honored in this way
by
these
heavenly socks.
They were so handsome
for the first time
my feet seemed to me
unacceptable
like two decrepit
fireman, fireman
unworthy
of that woven
fire,
of those glowing
socks.
Nevertheless
I resisted
the sharp temptation
to save them
somewhere
as schoolboys
keep fireflies
as learned men
collect
sacred texts.
I resisted
the mad impulse
to put them
into a golden
cage
and each day give
them birdseed
and pieces of pink
melon.
Like explorers
in the jungle who hand
over the very rare
green deer
to the spit
and eat it
with remorse,
I stretched out
my feet
and pulled on
the magnificent
socks
and then my shoes.
The moral
of my ode is this:
beauty is twice
beauty
and what is good is
doubly
good
when it is a matter of
two socks
made of wool
in winter.
Ode To The Dandelions (or Why I Shouldn't Cut The Grass)
by Nancy Ness
The sun shines high: the rain's gone by.
It's Dandelion Day.
From fertile spawn my plush green lawn
Is mottled yellow spray.
The neighbors' round, all cutting down
Their blades and flowers gay -
Now green they've got, a common lot,
While mine's in vast array.
Why should I mow these lovelies low,
Defying Sunshine's ray?
To bring them down the sun might frown,
And turn blue sky to gray.
I'll let their seeds fallow new weeds
And mow another day.
Resplay they should, the neighborhood.
The Dandelions stay.
You try writing an ode….
Try copying the style of Pablo Neruda’s poem above. Think of your favorite article of clothing to write a poem about. Make a list or a web of the characteristics of this piece of clothing. Include all of the information in the sample web above and anything else you feel is important about it. Then select details that are especially striking. Use Neruda’s poem as a model.
Dactyls
A dactyl is a three-syllable word or phrase in which the first syllable is accented and the other two aren't, such as the word "cereal."
A dactyl poem generally has two stanzas. The first three lines of each stanza are 6 syllables long with the accent on the 1st and 4th syllables.
Dactyl poems are also often about people.
"History Lesson" by Allan Wolf
Higgledy-Piggledy
William the Conqueror
Ousted King Harold in
Ten Sixty-Six
Sacked Anglo-Saxons and,
Normanmaniacal,
Cut off their heads and dis-
Played them on sticks.
"Historical Reflections" by John Hollander
Higgledy, piggledy
Benjamin Harrison,
Twenty-third President,
Was, and as such,
Served between Clevelands, and
Save for this trivial
Idiosyncrasy,
Didn't do much.
Try recognizing the rhythm in these dactyls without the underlined syllables. Think of the first 3 lines in each stanza as a waltz tempo.
“Tact” by Paul Pascal
“Patty cake, patty cake,
Marcus Antonius,
What do you think of the
African queen?”
"Gubernatorial
Duties require my
Presence in Egypt. Ya
Know what I mean?”
“Brittany Spears” by Davida Chazan
Popity-Schlockity
music teen Brittany's
writing her memoirs in
spite of her age.
Thousands will snap them up
enthusiastically,
even if there's only
one word per page!
Now try writing your own dactyl poem!
Clerihews
information taken from GigglePoetry.com --Kenn Nesbitt Copyright © 2001, (http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poetryclass/clerihew.htm)
Sample below.
The enemy of Harry Potter
Was a scheming plotter.
I can't tell you what he's called; I'd be ashamed
To name "he who must not be named."
N'Sync
Stink.
Their music hurts my ears.
I much prefer Britney Spears.
My little schnauzer's name is Sparky;
Let me tell you, he is quite barky!
While his talking is quite persistent,
His loving nature is quite consistent.
One of my fourth grade teachers, Miss Dunn,
Loved to teach, run, and simply have fun.
She taught us to live by the Golden Rule,
So no one at school was ever a fool.
Edgar Allan Poe
Was passionately fond of roe.
He always liked to chew some
When writing anything gruesome.
There was a smart spider named Charlotte
Whose spinning made her a starlet.
An awesome pig named Wilbur she saved
Through her friendship, which was quite brave.
Clerihews have just a few simple rules:
1. They are four lines long.
2. The first and second lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other.
3. The first line names a person, and the second line ends with something that rhymes with the name of the person.
4. A clerihew should be funny.
Now you try writing a clerihew.
5. Copying the Masters
Sometimes it helps to practice poetry by copying the feel of a famous poem. For example, read the William Carlos William poem below and see how I copied the style in my poem to the right.
This is Just to Say
by William Carlos Williams
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
This is Just to Say
by Caleb Kostechka
inspired by William Carlos Williams
I have watched
the episode
of Lost
on the television
I had recorded it
And you were probably
intending to watch it with me
Forgive me
it was late
and you were
already in bed
Below are some additional poems, good for imitating. You may also choose one from the books.
So much depends
upon
a red wheel barrow
glazed with rainwater
beside the white chickens.
-William Carlos Williams
I would not paint — a picture —
I'd rather be the One
Its bright impossibility
To dwell — delicious — on —
And wonder how the fingers feel
Who rare — celestial — stir —
Evokes so sweet a Torment —
Such sumptuous — Despair —
I would not talk, like Cornets —
I'd rather be the One
Raised softly to the Ceilings —
And out, and easy on —
Through Villages of Ether —
Myself endued Balloon
By but a lip of Metal —
The pier to my Pontoon —
Nor would I be a Poet —
It's finer — own the Ear —
Enamored — impotent — content —
The License to revere,
A privilege so awful
What would the Dower be,
Had I the Art to stun myself
With Bolts of Melody!
-Emily Dickinson
Fifteen
South of the bridge on Seventeenth
I found back of the willows one summer
day a motorcycle with engine running
as it lay on its side, ticking over
slowly in the high grass. I was fifteen.
I admired all that pulsing gleam, the
shiny flanks, the demure headlights
fringed where it lay; I led it gently
to the road, and stood with that
companion, ready and friendly. I was fifteen.
We could find the end of a road, meet
the sky on out Seventeenth. I thought about
hills, and patting the handle got back a
confident opinion. On the bridge we indulged
a forward feeling, a tremble. I was fifteen.
Thinking, back farther in the grass I found
the owner, just coming to, where he had flipped
over the rail. He had blood on his hand, was pale-
I helped him walk to his machine. He ran his hand
over it, called me good man, roared away.
I stood there, fifteen.
--William Stafford
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
-Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Where I’m From
I am from clothespins,
from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.
I am from the dirt under the back porch.
(Black, glistening
it tasted like beets.)
I am from the forsythia bush,
the Dutch elm
whose long gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.
I am from fudge and eyeglasses,
from Imogene and Alafair.
I'm from the know-it-alls
and the pass-it-ons,
from perk up and pipe down.
I'm from He restoreth my soul
with cottonball lamb
and ten verses I can say myself.
I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch,
fried corn and strong coffee.
From the finger my grandfather lost
to the auger
the eye my father shut to keep his sight.
Under my bed was a dress box
spilling old pictures.
a sift of lost faces
to drift beneath my dreams.
I am from those moments --
snapped before I budded --
leaf-fall from the family tree.
- George Ella Lyon
