theresasneed.com to Host a Poetry Extravaganza

April is National Poetry Month ~

You know you love poetry, right? What could be finer than creating your own? For the remaining days of March, every few days, I will be posting ideas and tips on writing poetry and challenging you to take that leap – and write your own!

I found a good reference article written by Gary R. Hess called 55 Types of Poetry.  Simple to understand, Mr. Hess has provided great links to give further explanations on different poetry forms.

But there are so many! Which when you think about it, makes writing poetry all the more exciting! Browse through his list – or google some on your own, and get started!

Today, I have chosen Cinquain, which is one of my favorite forms. It’s super easy and fun to do. A Cinquain only has five lines – that’s all!

There are three basic styles of Cinquain:

Style One 

Line1: One word
Line2: Two words
Line 3: Three words
Line 4: Four words
Line 5: One word

Of course, you will want the words to blend together and express meaning ~ to elicit an emotional response from your readers, whether it be joy, fear, anger, or humor – make each word count!

Style Two

Line1: A noun
Line2: Two adjectives
Line 3: Three -ing words
Line 4: A phrase
Line 5: Another word for the noun

I’ve taught this one in elementary school and find it a lot easier than style one because it has more structure. Again – each word needs to be tied into the others – the whole poem creating meaningful images in the readers mind.

(Yes, I know ‘forever’ is an adverb, and I know that ‘waiting’ is not another word for family, but I’m keeping them!)

Style Three

Line1: Two syllables
Line2: Four syllables
Line 3: Six syllables
Line 4: Eight syllables
Line 5: Two syllables

This style might be a bit more challenging, but give it a try – remember, to make sure that your words make sense when tied altogether – start with a meaningful topic as your first word and go from there!

I would love to showcase your poems! Leave them in the comment bar, but please keep them ‘clean’ for me.  🙂