You may write about an idea that you consider risky to address, such as abortion, racism, or same-sex marriage. You may feel free to write about this idea from your perspective without the pressure of knowing others are going to read it. Or you may tackle a universal theme in a more unconventional way, such as the theme of love from the perspective of a queer woman or the theme of kindness from the perspective of a serial killer.
For example, perhaps you had an intense near death experience. You may then write about this experience in graphic detail in your poem, revealing feelings and emotions you may have never told anyone about before. Knowing the poem is for your eyes only may make it easier to do this.
For example, the writer Chuck Palahniuk has been known to write stories in emergency rooms or other strange settings, like airport terminals. You may decide to choose an unconventional setting to write poetry, using the people and events around you as inspiration.
For example, you may use the writing prompt, “I am writing a poem for myself because…” or “I want to challenge myself to write about…”. You may then set a timer for 10 to 20 minutes and write about the prompt. Try not to lift your pen from the paper or read over what you have written. Once you have finished the freewrite, you should read it over and look for any lines or sentences that feel inspiring or engaging to you.
The poetry of Claudia Rankine. [5] X Research source The poetry of Anne Sexton. [6] X Research source The poetry of Adrienne Rich. [7] X Research source The poetry of Edgar Allen Poe. [8] X Research source
Confessional poets often draw on their own personal experiences and explore them in their poetry. You may try writing about a personal experience that you have kept private or secret and explore it in your poetry. Use the first person “I” to write about your experiences.
You may opt for using no rhyme scheme at all in your poem, known as the free verse form. Using the free verse form can allow you to be creative in your poem and have the freedom to use whatever words and phrases you’d like.
For example, you may choose to do a surrealist word game to get inspiration for your poem. You may try the “exquisite corpse” word game, where you start with a poetry prompt and add to it by passing the paper around the room to different poets. You may also use a surrealist poetry prompt to explore a topic that you find taboo or a personal experience that you would like to write about. You may do a substitution poem, where you replace words in an existing text with your own words or words from another text.
For example, you may try a haiku form. Haikus follow the 5-7-5 syllable count and are three lines long, with the first line having five syllables, the second line having seven syllables, and the last line having five syllables. You can also try the cinquain form, which is a five line poem that contains twenty-two syllables total. This poem follows the syllable order: 2, 4, 6, 8, 2. This means first line of the poem contains two syllables, the second contains four syllables, the third contains six syllables, etc. These poems don’t necessarily need to rhyme. You may go for a shape poem, where you use the shape of the object or subject you are writing about as the container for the poem.
For example, you may describe a moment by focusing on how it smelled or sounded. You may describe a storm as “earthy and smelling of rain” or “pounding the air like a drum. ” You may also describe a moment based on how it tasted or felt, such as describing your first kiss as “sweaty and wet” or “sweet, like the ice cream she just licked. ”
You may use literary devices like metaphor and simile. Metaphors compare one object to another object in an interesting way, for example, “her smile is a jack-o-lantern in the window. ” Similes use “like” or “as” to compare one object to another, for example, “she was like a witch on a broomstick” or “she is as red as a tomato. ”[13] X Research source You can also use literary devices like personification. Personification occurs when an inanimate object, an idea, or an animal is given human attributes, for example, “the wind sighed through the grass” or “the fire swallowed up the house. ”[14] X Research source
Focus on how you can infuse the poem with clear details and a sense of confession. You may pretend you are writing the poem to a younger version of yourself or to a person who would never judge you. Picture a forgiving audience and write for them, infusing your writing with honesty and sincerity.
The poem is meant for your eyes only so you may decide not to revise it completely or polish it like you would if it were meant for publication. You have the freedom to revise the poem as you see fit and adjust it based on how you, the sole reader, respond to the poem.
