What Makes A Great Poem?
I'll never forget the feeling I had the first time I wrote a poem.
It was a combination of power, pride, gratitude and just plain amazement.
With so few words, in just the right order, with just the right images and feeling, it is possible, with poetry, to say what it might take a book of prose 1000 pages to accomplish.
"A picture is worth a thousand words" is an old adage that applies to the "pictures" the poet can conjure up in the mind of the reader or listener when they experience a poem that touches them in ways they never knew possible.
A great poem can take you on a journey into the heart of God and back again.
So, what makes a great poem? There are basically four requirements:
Now, lets take a look at a poem I wrote a few years back and see if it adheres to our four requirements: Just in Time A poem is very hard to write especially when you try to rhyme the first with any other line within the poem, try hard though I may could take at least another day, or two, before the word for such a feat comes tumbling near or at my feet.
but two more lines is all I've left must put the poem back on the shelf before my mom turns out the light.
"Goodnight".
The element of surprise: The poem is taking us somewhere but we don't really know what is happening until the very last line in the poem.
The author is looking for a word to rhyme "write" (the last word in the first line) with but doesn't fine it until the last word of the poem.
We are taken on a journey and we are not sure, until the end, if the author will reach his goal in time.
A determined Meter: In this poem the meter is driving us rather quickly through the poem.
The author is teasing us with the "missing" rhyme word to get to the end as quickly as possible.
By using little punctuation, minimum capital letters and a mixture of rhyming techniques the poem moves much quicker.
Colorful Imagery: Words like feat, feet, tumbling, shelf help us see the author's urgency in finishing the poem.
Universality: Everyone has tried at one time or another to write a poem.
And, if you have, you know how difficult it is to find the right words to rhyme with.
When you are under time pressure, it is even more difficult.
This poem expresses that frustration with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor.
So, there you have it.
Just keep those 4 things in mind and you will write a great poem.
I hope you have been inspired to give it a shot.
Just remember to have fun!
It was a combination of power, pride, gratitude and just plain amazement.
With so few words, in just the right order, with just the right images and feeling, it is possible, with poetry, to say what it might take a book of prose 1000 pages to accomplish.
"A picture is worth a thousand words" is an old adage that applies to the "pictures" the poet can conjure up in the mind of the reader or listener when they experience a poem that touches them in ways they never knew possible.
A great poem can take you on a journey into the heart of God and back again.
So, what makes a great poem? There are basically four requirements:
- The element of surprise: All great poems hide something from the reader until they are ready to "let the cat out of the bag".
- A determined Meter: Meter in poetry can be defined as rhythm or beat.
The rhythm of the poem sets the reader up for the pace and flow of the poem.
How fast or slow will the poem move along its path to the "surprise" awaiting us. - Colorful Imagery: Poetry without colorful imagery might as well be prose.
It's the imagery that releases the reader from their mundane, everyday experience and leads them on the journey you have prepared for them. - Universality: The more universal the theme and topic of the poem, the more each individual reader can identify with the poem.
You can express individual hurt (or joy), for example, but the reader must be able to see it as his or her hurt (or joy) as well.
Now, lets take a look at a poem I wrote a few years back and see if it adheres to our four requirements: Just in Time A poem is very hard to write especially when you try to rhyme the first with any other line within the poem, try hard though I may could take at least another day, or two, before the word for such a feat comes tumbling near or at my feet.
but two more lines is all I've left must put the poem back on the shelf before my mom turns out the light.
"Goodnight".
The element of surprise: The poem is taking us somewhere but we don't really know what is happening until the very last line in the poem.
The author is looking for a word to rhyme "write" (the last word in the first line) with but doesn't fine it until the last word of the poem.
We are taken on a journey and we are not sure, until the end, if the author will reach his goal in time.
A determined Meter: In this poem the meter is driving us rather quickly through the poem.
The author is teasing us with the "missing" rhyme word to get to the end as quickly as possible.
By using little punctuation, minimum capital letters and a mixture of rhyming techniques the poem moves much quicker.
Colorful Imagery: Words like feat, feet, tumbling, shelf help us see the author's urgency in finishing the poem.
Universality: Everyone has tried at one time or another to write a poem.
And, if you have, you know how difficult it is to find the right words to rhyme with.
When you are under time pressure, it is even more difficult.
This poem expresses that frustration with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor.
So, there you have it.
Just keep those 4 things in mind and you will write a great poem.
I hope you have been inspired to give it a shot.
Just remember to have fun!
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