The Pen Take a pen in your uncertain fingers. Trust, and be assured That the whole world is a sky-blue butterfly And words are the nets to capture it. ~Muhammad al-Ghuzzi

Answer these questions using the poem on the following slide How would you describe the format of this poem? Is there a rhyming scheme evident in this poem? What do you think is the main idea?

The Pen Take a pen in your uncertain fingers. Trust, and be assured That the whole world is a sky-blue butterfly And words are the nets to capture it. ~Muhammad al-Ghuzzi

What is Poetry? Why learn this “stuff”? Modern and contemporary poetry is written in our vernacular and is easily accessible Economy of language: Being specific Playing with language and using it in new and interesting ways Striking word choice Loaded with crafting techniques (similes, imagery, rhetorical structures) Poetry lends itself to critical discussion about the choices writers make.

Introduction to Poetry ~ Billy Collins But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means. I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide or press an ear against its hive. I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out, or walk inside the poem's room and feel the walls for a light switch. I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name on the shore.

Poetry Structures In the next several slides, we will examine poetry structures. Use these structures to guide you in writing your own original poetry.

An Apology Poem From Kenneth Koch’s Rose, Where Did You Get That Red? Apology poems have “a theme children find irresistible…apologizing for something you’re really secretly glad you did. They enjoyed asserting the importance of their secret pleasure against the world of adult regulations. They apologized, and were pleased about, breaking things, taking things, forgetting and neglecting things, eating things, and looking at things” (101).

Have you ever had to apologize for something you were not truly sorry for? Turn and talk to your neighbor

“This is Just to Say” 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

Escape Forgive me For splashing mud On my new gleaming white Adidas’ With coral ocean blue stripes And footpads, soft and rubbery. I was rushing away, a hurry to escape And the all out sprint never felt better.

Your turn! Work with your learning community to brainstorm things that you would apologize for. Examples: Sorry for being late, sorry for not doing our homework, etc.

Couplet A couplet is a poem, or stanza in a poem, written in two lines. Usually rhymes. The Jellyfish Who wants my jellyfish? I’m not sellyfish! By Ogden Nash

Quatrain A quatrain is a poem, or stanza, written in four lines. The quatrain is the most common form of stanza used in poetry. Usually rhymes. Can be written in variety of rhyming patterns. The Lizard The lizard is a timid thing That cannot dance or fly or sing; He hunts for bugs beneath the floor And longs to be a dinosaur. By John Gardner

Cinquain A cinquain is a poem written in five lines that do not rhyme. Traditional cinquain has five lines containing 22 syllables in the following pattern: Line 1 – 2 syllables Line 2 – 4 syllables Line 3 – 6 syllables Line 4 – 8 syllables Line 5 – 2 syllables Oh, cat are you grinning curled in the window seat as sun warms you this December morning? By Paul B. Janezco

Haiku Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. Typically, haikus are written about nature, but they can be about any topic. Haikus have a very specific syllable structure. The first line of every haiku has 5 syllables The second line has 7 syllables The last line has 5 syllables.

Haiku Little frog among rain-shaken leaves, are you, too, splashed with fresh, green paint? by Gaki

“I am” Poem Written in three stanzas I am (two special characteristics) I wonder (something you are actually curious about) I hear (name what sound you hear right now) I see (name what sight you see right now) I want (an actual desire) I am (the first line of the poem restated) continued on next slide ...

“I am” Poem (continued) I pretend (something you actually pretend to do) I feel (how do you feel right now) I touch (what are you able to touch right now) I worry (something that really bothers you) I cry (something that makes you very sad) I am (the first line of the poem repeated) continued on next slide ...

“I am” Poem (continued) 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) beautiful! You are now finished. Reread your poem.

Diamante Poem A diamante is a seven-line poem written in the shape of a diamond. Does not rhyme. Follows pattern. Can use synonyms or antonyms. Diamante Pattern Line 1 – Your topic (noun) Line 2 – Two adjectives about Line 3 – Three “ing” words about Line 4 – Four nouns or short phrase linking topic (or topics) Line 5 – Three “ing” words about Line 5 – Two adjectives about Line 7 – Your ending topic (noun)

Synonym Diamante Monsters Creepy, sinister, Hiding, lurking, stalking, Vampires, mummies, werewolves and more – Chasing, pouncing eating, Hungry, scary, Creatures

Antonym Diamante Day Bright, sunny, Laughing, playing, doing, Up in the east, down in the west – Talking, resting, sleeping, Quiet, dark, Night

Concrete Poem A concrete poem (also called shape poem) is written in the shape of its subject. The way the words are arranged is as important what they mean. Does not have to rhyme.

Limerick A limerick is a funny poem of 5 lines. Lines 1, 2 & 5 rhyme. Lines 3 & 4 are shorter and rhyme. Line 5 refers to line 1. Limericks are a kind of nonsense poem There Seems to Be a Problem I really don’t know about Jim. When he comes to our farm for a swim, The fish as a rule, jump out of the pool. Is there something the matter with him? By John Ciardi

Someplace Poem Think about a special place you know . . . A hiding place, a private place, a quiet place. When do you go to this place? When you are happy, sad, gloomy What are some colors you see there? What can you smell? Tell a secret you only know about that place. How do you feel when you are there?

Cheese ‘n Stuff Its a very special place, a delicatessen: Cheese ‘n Stuff. I love to go there when it’s the holiday season. There are bright green letters on the wall. There are cheerful greetings when you walk into the delicatessen. Smelling the freshly cooked bacon, smoky ham and sour pickles. Cheese ‘n Stuff has been around since 1927 and has the best sandwiches. They carry all of the traditional foods I seek during Christmas. I feel like I’m back home in Chicago when I go there.

List Poem Pick a topic and list. Friends Friends aren’t what they seem List Poem Pick a topic and list! Friends Friends aren’t what they seem. Friends that like to eat ice cream with you. Friends that don’t judge you. Friends that listen with an open mind and heart. Friends know your secrets and your dreams. Friends that make you angry. Friends that borrow clothes from you and never return them. Friends are a huge part of my life and I love them all.

Cube Poems Write the name of a person or thing on your paper. List six descriptors of that person or thing. Now write a simile or a metaphor for each description. Publish

Cube Poems William As strong as a locomotive pulling 100 train cars As inquisitive as a cat As sweet as syrup drizzled on pancakes As smart as Einstein As happy as a surprise birthday party As handsome as a famous painting

Poems for Two Voices Two-voice poetry is written for two people to perform. The poetry usually has two columns—one for each person who is reading the poem. Each person reading the poem reads the text in one of the columns. Sometimes, the poet wants the two readers to say something at the same time; so the poet writes the words on the same line in each column. These poems often sound like a dialogue for two people.

How Do I Write Poetry for Two Voices? Just like all poetry, poems for two voices need an idea. Nature makes great subject matter for poetry for two voices, but two voice poems can also be written about school, current events, or events in literature. In writing your own poem for two voices, think about ideas that need discussion or make for great dialogue. List 3 ideas from your own life that might make for good poetry with more than one voice.

Begin crafting your poem! With your learning community, brainstorm a list of words that are important to your idea. (You don’t have to use all of these, but ask other poets what words they would use about this topic). Begin crafting your poem into two columns—one column for each speaker in the poem.

Revising: Thinking About Choices Poets Make Lines and stanzas Experimenting with line meaning, length and stanzas Word choice Interesting combinations of nouns and verbs Deleting words we don’t need Poem titles

Revising: Lines Take a poem and put it into prose form See how many different ways we can break the poem into lines and stanzas and take a gallery walk Give your lines a haircut—create uniform lines Encourages creativity—not all ideas have to start and end on the same line!

Revising: Lines ~Let’s Try It! Lemon Tree ~Jennifer Clement If you climb a lemon tree feel the bark under your knees and feet, smell the white flowers, rub the leave in your hands. Remember, the tree is older than you are and you might find stories in its branches.

Revising: Lines Lemon Tree ~Jennifer Clement If you climb a lemon tree feel the bark under your knees and feet, smell the white flowers, rub the leave in your hands. Remember, the tree is older than you are and you might find stories in its branches.

Revising: Word Choice Poetry is all about surprising and new word combinations. Use new words in new ways – use your words to SHOW Before: Blue is the waves on the ocean After: Blue smoothes out the scribbled ocean

Revision: Poem Titles Method # 1: Surprising or interesting phrase from inside your poem Method # 2: Use the title lead into your poem. Method # 3: State the subject of your poem. Method # 4: Crafty title

Editing: Punctuation Period: Stop! Semicolon: stop a little less than a period—like a yield sign. Colon: something important is coming Comma: slow down, take a breath Punctuation can happen in the middle and end of lines of poetry.