You may also remember the distinct moment when you realized this person was going to be a good friend of yours and an important person in your life. Try to describe this moment, focusing on specific details. What you were wearing when you met your friend for the first time? Where did the meeting take place? What were your first thoughts or impressions of her?
You can include some negative traits if you’d like but because you are planning to create the poem for your friend as a tribute, you may want to focus on the positive traits. The poem will then reflect the aspects of your friend that you admire and appreciate.
Write down the details of the memory, from where you both were to what you were wearing to what you were doing. You should consider why the memory stands out to you and what emotions you associate with the memory.
For example, maybe you and your friend got into a big argument where hurtful things were said. You may want to describe the scene of the fight as well as the aftermath of the fight when you and your friend made up. This could help to show how strong your friendship is and how you both were able to put aside your differences and come together for the sake of your friendship.
“A Toast to Our Friendship” by Mia Pratt. “Toast to My Friend or Why Friendship is the Best Kind of Love” by Dorothea Lasky. [5] X Research source “The Friend” by Matt Hart. [6] X Research source “Dear Friend” by Dean Young. [7] X Research source
Ask yourself, How does the writer discuss their ideas and feelings on friendship as well as how much their friend means to them? Do they use imagery, description, and detail to illuminate the friendship? What type of form does the writer chose for the poem and how does this contribute to the poem overall?
Free verse has no set meter, structure, or rhyme scheme. [9] X Expert Source Alicia CookProfessional Writer Expert Interview. 11 December 2020. But when writing free verse, you should still try to create a cohesive piece that flows in some way and expresses your ideas clearly. You have lots of freedom in free verse to play around with the length of each line as well as the descriptions and images you use in the poem. For example, the poem “A Toast to Our Friendship” by Mia Pratt uses the free verse form to discuss a close friendship. The author uses strong adjectives, verbs, and description to create an interesting portrayal of the relationship between friends. Though the verse is free-form, the poem still feels cohesive and focused.
An alternate rhyme: Often, this rhyme follows the pattern ABAB, where the first and third line rhyme (A) and the second and fourth line rhyme (B). This rhyming pattern may then be repeated in each stanza or section of the poem. Rhyming couplet: This form has two line stanzas that rhyme and may be placed in pairs or added at the end of a stanza. The rhyme scheme could be “A,A,B,B,C,C,. . . ” Ballad: This form has three stanzas with a rhyme scheme of “ABABBBCBC”, followed by “BCBC”. Limerick: This form is five lines with a rhyme scheme of “AABBA”. [11] X Expert Source Alicia CookProfessional Writer Expert Interview. 11 December 2020.
You could also break up the text into columns or sections on the page and group them under different ideas or thoughts about your friend. Another visually interesting element could be integrating photographs of your friend into the text, placing the images at the beginning or end of the text.
You may decide to focus on a scene of when you first met your friend or a where your friend did something brave and wonderful for you recently. You should try to describe the scene from your perspective and then discuss why you think what your friend did was so great or so interesting. For example, rather than just write “I met you when I was in high school”, you might say, “There I was, my hair in braids and my braces flashing in the light, when I ran into you with your dyed black hair and platform shoes in the hallway and thought, who’s that girl?”
For example, in Mia Pratt’s “A Toast to Our Friendship”, the author notes personal traits that she shares with the friend she is writing about, comparing them to “a female Jordan and Scottie Pippen”, who “both share identical shoe sizes, body weight, and consumption of iron pills” as well as “identical patterns of speech”. These details make the poem feel personal and unique to the friendship the author shares with her friend.
You may want to mark up the poem to note any awkward lines or words. You can then edit the poem for clarity and tone, focusing on the sections you have marked.
