A poem is created by putting words together in an interesting way to express a feeling, create a mental picture, tell a story, or make a sound. Poetry entertains the ears and the eyes!

Writing which follows grammatical rules. The OPPOSITE of poetry.

 You see poetry in many different places. How many can you name?  You may have an entire book of poetry by one author  You may read a collection of poems by multiple authors called an anthology.

Verse A line of a poem How many verses does this poem have? Wrens and Robins in the Hedge Christina Rossetti Wrens and robins in the hedge Wrens and robins here and there; Building, perching, pecking, fluttering, Everywhere!

A stanza in a poem is like a paragraph in an essay. They are usually separated by blank space.

How many stanzas are there? The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that, the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

Rhyme The repetition of end sounds Today I had a rotten day. As I was coming in from play. I accidentally stubbed my toes and tripped and fell and whacked my nose. I chipped a tooth. I cut my lip. I scraped my knee. I hurt my hip. I pulled my shoulder, tweaked my ear, and got a bruise upon my rear. I banged my elbow, barked my shin. A welt is forming on my chin. My pencil poked me in the thigh. I got an eyelash in my eye. I sprained my back. I wrenched my neck. I'm feeling like a total wreck. So that's the last time I refuse when teacher says to tie my shoes. --Kenn Nesbitt

Pattern of how the lines rhyme Each new sound at the end of a line is given a letter, starting with “A,” then “B,” and so on. If an end sound repeats the end sound of an earlier line, it gets the same letter as the earlier line.

Here are three slightly different cat poems, each with a different rhyme scheme. My cat is nice. My cat likes mice. My cat is fat. I like my cat. A A B B My cat is nice. My cat is fat. My cat likes mice. I like my cat. A B A B My cat is gray. My cat is fat. My cat is cute. I like my cat. ABCBABCB

Couplet Two sequential lines that rhyme Slicing Salami The strangest strange stranger I've met in my life was the man who made use of his nose as a knife. He‘d slice up salami, tomatoes and cheese at the tip of his nose with phenomenal ease. He'd buy food in bulk at incredible prices and then use his nose to reduce it to slices. His wife ran away and I know that he'll miss her. The woman was frightened that one day he'd kiss her! by Denise Rodgers Copyright© Denise Rodgers All Rights Reserved Art by Julie MartinJulie Martin

Consonance Repetition of consonant sounds in nearby words "Norm, the worm, took the garden by storm this morn."

Free Verse Poems that do not rhyme or have regular rhythm

Rhythm Regular patterned repetition of sounds The beat Rhythm and rhyme are what give a poetry a musical quality

Repetition Repeating of the same word Because I do not hope to turn again Because I do not hope Because I do not hope to turn... from 'Ash-Wednesday' by T. S. Eliot I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody too? Then there's a pair of us-don't tell! They'd banish us you know. from "I'm nobody! Who are You?" by Emily Dickinson

Poetic devices to make writing more interesting Examples Alliteration Similes Metaphors Onomatopoeia

Alliteration When a series of words have the same beginning sound

Words that imitate sounds

Can poems use more than one type of figurative language? Can you make your own?

Similes and Metaphors both compare things. What is the difference?

 Make a comparison using the words LIKE or AS  My love is like a red, red rose.  You were as brave as a lion.  They fought like cats and dogs.  He is as funny as a barrel of monkeys.  This house is as clean as a whistle.  He is as strong as an ox.  Your explanation is as clear as mud.  Watching the show was like watching grass grow.

 Make a comparison  Her eyes are jewels sparkling in the sun.  The harvest moon is a great pumpkin in the sky.

Idioms A phrase whose words have different meaning than its original meaning Figures of Speech She is pulling my leg The early bird gets the worm. Break a leg. It’s raining cats and dogs.