Peters 4-6 Library

What is Poetry?

While often listed as a genre, poetry is actually a style of writing. It often has artistic language such as rhyme or alliteration and be structured or free verse. Poetry as a genre can be of great interest because it can be either fiction or non-fiction. For example, the topic of a can be something silly and made up, or it can be about the author's feelings and thoughts, or it can be about something that happened in past like the Revolutionary War. There are several types of poems. Keep Reading to find out more.

Acrostic

An acrostic poem is a poem where certain letters in each line spell out a word or phrase. Typically, the first letters of each line are used to spell the message, but they can appear anywhere. The green circle on the left is an example.

Couplet

A couplet is a pair of lines that rhyme. Usually both lines have the same meter, or number of syllables. A couplet expresses a complete thought and can be funny or serious. Here are some examples:

The children like the ocean shore

We want to leave, but they want more

Lightning and thunder all around

Soon the rain falls on the ground

I tire of writing poems and rhyme

I think I need vacation time

Haiku

A haiku is a Japanese poem that can be written on many themes, but they are most commonly about love and nature. It is three lines long and only contains 17 syllables. The first and third lines have 5 syllables while the middle line contains 7. Here is an example:

Cherry pink blossoms

Soft palette of pastel hues

scents of spring in bloom

Limerick

A limerick is a funny 5 line poem with a strong beat that originated in the city of Limerick in the country of Ireland. The first line usually begins with "There was a..." and the last line is normally a little farfetched or unusual. A limerick has a rhyme scheme of aabba which means lines 1,2, and 5 rhyme while lines 3 and 4 rhyme. Limericks were made famous by Edward Lear, a famous author who wrote the "Book of Nonsense" in the 1800's. This was an entire book of silly limericks. Here is an example of one his limericks:

There was an old man with a beard

Who said, "it is just as i feared!"

Two owls and a hen

Four larks and a wren,

Have all built there nests in my beard!

Narrative

Narrative poems, just like fiction and narrative non-fiction, tell a story. These poems can be really long or super short and use rhyme and powerful language. Narrative poems have characters and follow the traditional story arc with a beginning, middle, and end. The most famous narrative poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey were written in Ancient Greece by a man named Homer. These poems focused on the Trojan and one man's ten year long journey to get home from the war. Don't worry about these poems yet. You'll learn more about them in high school. The narrative poem you probably know the best is Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. It's spooky and usually gets a lot of exposure around Halloween. Quoth the raven, "Nevermore".

Free Verse

Free verse poems do not follow any rules. Their creation is completely in the hands of the author. The author chooses how to use techniques such as rhyming, syllable count, stanzas, line length, etc. Some of these poems follow natural speech patterns, while others use shortened or extended lines to convey thoughts and emotions. Here is an example of a free verse poem by Carl Sandburg entitled "Fog":

The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

Lyrical

A lyric poem is a short poem that is written to express personal feelings. In contrast to a narrative poem, a lyric poem is not meant to tell a story. Rather, it is meant to express feelings. There is only one speaker in a lyric poem and it has some of the same characteristics as songs. In fact, lyrical poetry grew out of the musical tradition. The word lyric is derived from the lyre, a musical stringed instrument used during in Ancient Greece to accompany the poetry sung during different festivities. Here is an example of a lyrical poem:

Michele Meleen's "Ode to My Hamster" celebrates a common childhood pet:

Oh Fluffy

you are as soft

as any blanket I could buy.

Your cotton ball legs

and stuffed squirrel cheeks

make me want to snuggle you

day and night.

But when I sleep, you are awake

and when I wake you fall asleep.

Oh Fluffy

I can't wait to pet your velvety fur

and hold you and squeeze you

and love you forever.

Fluffy, puffy Fluffy

I couldn't have chosen a more perfect pet.