Caleb S.
Caleb S.

Learn How to Write Poetry with Expert Written Examples

9 min read

Published on: Aug 30, 2022

Last updated on: Jan 3, 2023

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Poetry gives you the power to explore the world within and around you. You can write a poem on everything. From every feeling to every technology, a poem can be written on any topic.

Writing a poem can be daunting, especially if you lack poetic ideas and creativity in analyzing. With the right idea and motivation, you can create a poem worth sharing with others.

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What is Poetry?

Poetry is a form of literature based on the exchange of rhythms and words. In this piece, words are used to form ideas, sounds, and images that are too complex or vague to be described directly.

Poetry is as old as the human race. It took different forms and presentations of ideas at different times.

Classical poets wrote poems following the strict writing rules according to their culture. In contrast to this, modern poetry doesn’t portray specified writing rules and takes multiple forms to create beauty through words.

Poetry is very personal and specific to the poet, so knowing the writing course of poetry with your touch can be intricate. Also, with writing exercises, you can easily improve your writing skills.

How to Write Poetry?

Writing poetry is a form of creative writing that is considered the most challenging form of art. It is that debatable writing that follows strict rules, yet it has “no rules.”

If you know the drill, writing poems can be very fulfilling and satisfying. People professionally and personally write poems, and it gives peace to them.

People who are to start writing a poem or even poets but missing their charm will find this guide helpful.

Poetry is very personal and specific to the poet so knowing the writing course of poetry with your own touch can be intricate.

Follow the steps given below to write a perfect piece of poetry and feel proud.

  1. Understand the Benefits

    You don't have to be a professional poet or a person intending to publish your work to realize the benefits poetry provides. Even if you are a student or do poetry as a hobby, learning how to write poetry will benefit you in the following way:

    Strengthens your Writing Skills - Poetry highly depends on imagery. This form of creative writing polishes your sense of providing imagery and vocabulary.

    Poetry Leaves an Impact - Writing poetry gives you the power to control the language in writing. Using precise and strong language is a key element in the poem, helping you control your overall writing.

    Helps Attach Emotions with Things - all the other forms of writing whether it is academic or creative have a plot on which they stand. While for a poem there is an emotion.

  2. Choose the Type of Poetry

    Poetry has different types, and because of this, if you want to write a specific kind of poetry, you have to be familiar with the various forms.

    Narrative - This type of poem depends on the story. Narrative poems have events and other elements like characters, setting, plot and require strong narration.

    Examples of a narrative poem include Ballad of the Harp by Edna St. Vincent Millay and The Eve of St. Agnes by John Keats

    Lyrical - A lyrical poem is a type of poetry that takes the form of a song. This type describes a certain feeling, state of mind, or scene.

    For example, the Road not Taken by Robert Frost and My Last Duchess by Robert Brow.

  3. Choose a Structure

    A poem’s structure can refer to many things, but here we will talk about the forms that a poem takes, its punctuation, and the last words

  4. Forms of Poetry

    The physical structure means the line length, rhyme, number of stanzas or lines, etc.

    • Sonnet - It is a structure that has 14 lines. It is a rhymed poem.
    • Acrostic - In this structure, the first letter of each line together forms a word according to a theme and creates a puzzle for deep meaning.
    • Limerick - It is a structure that has five lines where only the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme. The rhyme scheme is AABBA.
    • Haiku - It is a Japanese poem structure of 3 lines. In this structure, the first and the last line has five syllables.
    • Free Verse - There are no rules in this structure, giving writers the freedom to write anything.
    • Couplet - this is a short poem in which there are only two lines that rhyme.
    • Epic - This structure follows a narrative-style poem in which the accomplishments of the heroes are celebrated.

    Usually, the people who just start writing poems follow the free verse structure. This gives liberty to a poet to write in any theme and pattern.

  5. Punctuation

    Punctuation is a significant problem while writing poetry. You never know what the right and appropriate punctuation is for your poem. You can punctuate your poem in 3 ways:

    • Stylistically - It means that you punctuate your poem in a way that is to be read by the readers. The use of a comma, period, and dashes is done according to the writer’s mind and what he is saying. Your punctuation depends mostly on the goal of your poem.
    • Grammatically - this is to punctuate your poem according to the grammatical rules.
    • A Combination of Both - In usual cases, a writer wants to write a grammatically balanced poem, but certain lines are written to be read in a specific way. While writing poetry, you can deviate from the standard rules, but it is important to know how to break a rule.
  6. Last Words

    Poets pay special importance to the last word of a line, the last line of the poem, and the last word of the last line of a poem. It is because these are the things that find a place in the reader’s minds and hearts.

    The way you end a poem has effects. A poem ended with punctuation has different effects than an ending without it.

    A pro tip to follow is reading your poem out loud to know where to emphasize in your poem.

  7. Imagery

    Imagery is a literary device that is used to target the five senses of a reader. It is a tangible description of a thing.

    Imagery in a poem holds great importance. It is because the better a reader can see the better he will connect to it. It is the one magical element in a poem.

    A tip for using imagery is to focus on the minor details, making them enjoyable. Just feel the moment or feeling that is being discussed and write from the vibes it provides.

  8. Poem Sound

    Just how imagery was necessary for the mind of the reader, the sound is for the ears. The basic sound style that a writer chooses for his poem is rhyme. However, you should never forcefully add rhyme to your poem.

    Using rhyming words in your poem limits the choice of words and creativity. To make your poem appealing and beautiful, add strong imagery rather than just focusing on the poem’s sound and structure.

    Knowing whether your sound and tone are appropriate, read aloud your poem, say for ten minutes, and hear what your poem sounds like to the readers.

  9. Meaning of the Poem

    For a poem, your structure, imagery, and sound are essentials. But if your words lack deeper meaning, then the other elements will not be enough to make good poems.

    Many amateur writers find it easy to write their poems on cliche topics. It might be an easy way out, but it will not be impressive.

    Writing on topics that other poets have already written about will not bring out the best in you. Rather your poem will be monotonous and judged in comparison to other’s work.

    Try to choose a unique and fresh topic, and nobody has written about it, or at least a few people have written about it.

    To add meaning to a poem, a writer should brainstorm the topics before start writing. Use your personal experiences, understanding, feelings, etc, to look for an interesting topic.

    Poetry is not only about dramatic and tense emotions. Writing about ordinary things can be a perfect option as well. A poet has the power to make ordinary and mundane things special and exciting.

  10. Goal

    Your poem should have a moto. A poem without an objective or a goal is nothing. You have to know what you are making your audience feel.

    Even if you are writing a poem for yourself, it should have a goal. If you are writing a poem for your writing class or a poetry course, your audience will be your instructor or fellow students. Decide your goal accordingly.

    To make sure your poem impacts the audience, check if your poem is conveying a message and what it is trying to express.

  11. Avoid Cliches

    Avoid using cliches and mainstream topics and sentences. An amateur writer is identified from his writing if he uses such known statements.

    Bring originality to your work. If you feel that others have used some lines in your poems before or you have heard them, rephrase them, giving it your touch.

  12. Refine What you have Written

    Want your poem to be magical? Refine and revise to add the charm. Take your time and refine your poem to make it flawless and shine in the reader's mind.

    If you are writing a poem with a timeline and goal, it is good, but it is established that you need to give time to it for quality work.

    Poets recommend avoiding abstractions. Words like love, aggression, loyalty, liberty, bondage, etc., do not have concrete meanings. Everybody has their own meaning for such words.

    Try to avoid them and if using them, use them appropriately. Instead of using abstractions, use strong imagery. Relate emotions with tangible things. For example, birds flying or chain-breaking are the metaphors used for freedom and liberty.

Use imagery for abstraction to make your readers feel what you feel and where you stand.

Therefore, keep these steps in your mind and make your reading and writing phase easy.

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Poetry Examples

To provide you a better understanding of the multiple structures of poems and types, below are the examples:

  • Haiku Poem - “Sick on a Journey” by Basho
  • Free Verse Poem - “ A Supermarket in California” by Allin Ginsberg
  • Limerick Poem - “The Marriage Of Poor Kim Kardashian” by Salman Rushdie
  • Epic Poem - “The Song of Hiawatha” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  • Acrostic Poem - “Alexis” by Nicholas Gordon
  • Sonnet Poem - “Sonnet 116” by William Shakespeare
  • Couplet poem - “Cooper's Hill” by John Denham

Writing poems can be great for developing writing skills and thinking outside the box. It helps you look at things differently and describe them poetically in a wonderful and unconventional manner.

If you are not asked to write it for your academics, write poetry as a hobby to give yourself a different thinking dimension. If you require any guidance, feel free to visit CollegeEssay.org and get professional help for your college essay and all sorts of academic writings.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 5 elements of a poem?

The five elements of a poem are: 

  • Voice 
  • Sound 
  • Syntax 
  • Rhythm 
  • Meter 
Caleb S.

WRITTEN BY

Caleb S. (Literature, Marketing)

Caleb S. has extensive experience in writing and holds a Masters from Oxford University. He takes great satisfaction in helping students exceed their academic goals. Caleb always puts the needs of his clients first and is dedicated to providing quality service.

Caleb S. has extensive experience in writing and holds a Masters from Oxford University. He takes great satisfaction in helping students exceed their academic goals. Caleb always puts the needs of his clients first and is dedicated to providing quality service.

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