Plan to write 1-3 pages during this exercise. You can stop freewriting when you have a topic. If you still don’t know what to write about after 3 pages, re-read what you’ve written and try to pick out a theme or emotion. Writing poetry may help you release your anger and frustration.
Emotions Loss Loneliness Darkness Death Depression Anxiety Pain Self-injury
Don’t worry about whether or not the words will sound good in a poem. Your goal is to get your mind thinking of possibilities. As an example, let’s say your theme is loss. You might write down the words “missing,” “pain,” “emptiness,” “absence,” “falling,” “empty room,” “sacrifice,” and “death. " Similarly, if you’re writing a poem about your anxiety, you might write down the words “worry,” “uncertainty,” “sharp objects,” “people staring,” “shaking,” and “help. "
For instance, let’s say your poem is about feeling misunderstood. You might choose frustration, anger, and emptiness as your emotions. Similarly, let’s say your theme is loss. Your emotions might be pain and sadness.
Free verse - This form has no rules, so you can use line breaks, rhyme, and stanzas however you like. Concrete - The body of your poem will create an image. Haiku - These are typically 3-line poems about nature. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the third line has 5 syllables. Villanelle - This poem has 5 stanzas with 3 lines, called tercets, followed by a stanza with 4 lines, called a quatrain. The first and third line of the first stanza will repeat throughout the poem. The repeating lines are great for evoking emotion!
For example, you could write a poem about feeling alienated from your peers that has a sarcastic tone. If you’re writing about losing someone you care about, your tone might be sad or angry. A poem that’s about death might have a frightened or sad tone.
Sight: “Frayed edges that refuse to mend” Sound: “A broken bell clanging inside my mind” Smell: “Smelled bitter like the soil they buried you under” Touch: “Like ice against my skin” Taste: “Sweet like a cherry at first bite, then rotten on my lips”
Metaphor: This is a comparison between 2 unlike things. For instance, “Today is a mountain I can’t climb. ” Simile: Use a simile to compare 2 unlike things using “like” or “as. ” As an example, “She danced like a butterfly. ” Alliteration: This is when you use the same letter to start several words that are close together. For example, “Drinking in the darkness, diving deeper into the void. ” Personification: You can use this to give human traits to a non-human thing. For instance, “Clouds chased me into utter darkness. ” Repetition: Repeating a line or 2 will emphasize that line to the reader so they know it’s important.
Use the first line of the poem. If you used repetition, make the repeating line the title of your poem. Incorporate the theme or emotion into the title. For instance, a good title for a poem about loss might be “These Empty Hands” or “Without You. " Similarly, a good title for a poem about your anxiety might be “Unsteady” or “An Uncertain Future. "
When you come back to your poem, you’ll likely notice things that you didn’t see before.
After each revision you make, read the poem aloud to see how it sounds.
Choose people who will give you honest feedback but who also care about your feelings.
You may need to make several revisions before you feel like you have a final version of your poem.
