How to Write Kick-Ass Poetry

10/13/2023

Young boy holding a book and looking like he's wowed!

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Pick a title to lure
the reader in
to rival any siren.

Put words together
that are unlikely
bedfellows combining
their syllables
in novel positions
or couplets.

Use the end of a line
to emphasis,
the end line of a stanza
to impress,
the last line of a poem
to punch!

An enjambed line
makes the reader ponder
What caused this line
to wander?

Don’t leave a word on its own
except if it is powerful
enough to stand
alone
which is as rare as a daffodil
growing on an iceberg.

Interior rhymes right
the wrong
of poetry becoming
singsong.

Take all heart and soul
out of your poems.

Pace your poem
by alternating feet
with rhythm and meter.

Cut the opening
lines of your first
draft until you discover
where your poem becomes
alive—If you can’t
find that point
take another stab.

Write and rewrite.
Marinate the words.
Ruminate them on different
days and shore up the themes
that percolate.
Repeat this process often.

Read your poetry out loud
to your dog or garden.
Smooth the spots where
the words trip up your voice.

Check your poem’s
shape on the page always
aware of the space
around it.

Remember poems
are cerebral
visual and musical.

The right combination
(Oh dear, I’m already
breaking
the rules)
is pure poetry.