The wonderful world of poetry

Acrostic Poetry•A

poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word, phrase, or name when read vertically

“A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky” by Lewis CarrollA boat, beneath a sunny skyLingering onward dreamilyIn an evening of July—Children three that nestle near,Eager eye and willing ear,Pleased a simple tale to hear—Long has paled that sunny sky:Echoes fade and memories die:Autumn frosts have slain July.Still she haunts me, phantomwise,Alice moving under skiesNever seen by waking eyes.Children yet, the tale to hear,Eager eye and willing ear,Lovingly shall nestle near.In a Wonderland they lie,Dreaming as the days go by,Dreaming as the summers die:Ever drifting down the stream—Lingering in the golden gleam—Life, what is it but a dream?

Concrete Poetry•C

oncrete poetry (also known as shape poetry) forms the words of the poem so that they take on a shape relevant to what the poet is discussing.

“Circle Road” – Shel Silverstein

“The Altar” by George HerbertA broken ALTAR, Lord, thy servant rears,Made of a heart and cemented with tears; Whose parts are as thy hand did frame; No workman's tool hath touch'd the same. A HEART alone Is such a stone, As nothing but Thy pow'r doth cut. Wherefore each part Of my hard heart Meets in this frame To praise thy name. That if I chance to hold my peace, These stones to praise thee may not cease.Oh, let thy blessed SACRIFICE be mine,And sanctify this ALTAR to be thine.

Dirge•A

dirge is a hymn or song of lamentation or grief, often composed to be performed at a funeral.

“A Dirge” by Christina RossettiWhy were you born when the snow was falling?You should have come to the cuckoo’s calling,Or when grapes are green in the cluster,Or, at least, when lithe swallows muster For their far off flying From summer dying.

Why did you die when the lambs were cropping?You should have died at the apples’ dropping,When the grasshopper comes to trouble,And the wheat-fields are sodden stubble, And all winds go sighing For sweet things dying.

“Funeral Blues” by W. H. AudenStop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,Silence the pianos and with muffled drumBring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overheadScribbling on the sky the message 'He is Dead'.Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Epigram•A

short, witty, funny poem that often has contradictions in it

William Blake"To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour"

Ogden NashCandy is dandy

But liquor is quicker

Benjamin FranklinLittle strokes

Fell great oaks

John DrydenHere’s my wife: here let her lie!

Now she’s at rest – and so am I.

Shel Silverstein

Epitaph•A

n epitaph is a poem intended for (or imagined for) an inscription upon a tombstone

“Upon a Child that Died” – Robert HerrickHere she lies, a pretty bud,

Lately made of flesh and blood,

Who as soon fell fast asleep

As her little eyes did peep.

Give her strewings, but not stir

The earth that lightly covers her.

Found Poem•A

prose text that has been reshaped by a poet into rhyming or free verse poetry

Page 3 from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury“Ruining History”Pleasure to burn

Pleasure to see things eaten

Things blackened and changed

Brass nozzle in his fists

This great python spitting its venemous kerosene

Blood pounded in his head

His hands were hands of some

Amazing conductor playing all symphonies

Blazing and Burning

Ruining History

Haiku•A

Japanese verse form of three unrhyming lines in five, seven, and five syllables.

“Rendezvous” - Philip ApplemanOnce more as I wait

for you, night and icy wind

melt into cold rain.

Natsume SosekiIt’s cold—and I wait

For someone to shelter me

And take me from here.

Limerick•A

n often humorous and silly poetry form. A limerick has five lines. The first, second, and fifth line are the same number of syllables and rhyme with each other. The third and fourth line are the same number of syllables (typically shorter) and rhyme with each other.

“A Young Lady of Lynn” - AnonymousThere was a young lady of Lynn,

Who was so uncommonly thin

That when she essayed

To drink lemonade

She slipped through the straw and fell in.

Shel Silverstein

Ray DriverThere was an odd beaver from Corning

Who liked to cook pancakes each morning.

With a flip of his tail,

To the ceiling they'd sail,

Then they'd fall to the floor without warning!

Free VerseNonmetrical, nonrhyming lines that closely follow the natural rhythms of speech. A regular pattern of sound or rhythm may emerge in free-verse lines, but the poet does not adhere to a metrical plan in their composition.

“I’m not lonely” – Nikki GiovanniI'm not lonely sleeping all alone you think i'm scared but i'm a big girl i don't cry or anything

I have a great big bed to roll around in and lots of space and i don't dream bad dreams like i used to have that you were leaving me anymore

Now that you're gone i don't dream and no matter what you think i'm not lonely sleeping all alone

“Love Is” – Nikki Giovanni

Some people forget that love is tucking you in and kissing you 'Good night' no matter how young or old you areSome people don't remember that love is listening and laughing and asking questions no matter what your ageFew recognize that love is commitment, responsibility no fun at all unless

Love is You and me

Poetry Project•U

sing Google Slides, you are going to create a presentation of poems that you have written. Over the past few days we have discussed many types of poetry. You must choose at least five types of poetry and compose original poems adhering to the structures of those types of poetry. In addition, you will devote a slide after each poem to discussing the origin and analysis of your poetry. You could discuss what inspired you to write the poem (experience, individual, other poet, etc.), thematic choices, symbolism, effect, etc. Also, you must use at least three vocabulary words from this semester in your poems.

•You will be graded on: Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling, Varied Diction (Use of 3 vocabulary words and general good descriptive word choice) and Expression (Creativity! Make it pretty and original!)

Poetry Types and point value (Total Points=70)

•Acrostic – 5 points (at least 5 lines)

•Concrete – 8 points (at least 8 lines)

•Dirge – 7 points (at least 7 lines)

•Epigram – 2 points

•Epitaph – 7 points (at least 7 lines)

•Found Poem – 10 points (at least 10 lines)

•Haiku – 3 points

•Limerick – 5 points

•Free verse poem – 10 points (at least 10 lines)

•Rhymed poem – 10 points (at least 10 lines, constant rhyme scheme)

•Shakespearean Sonnet – 25 points

•Varied Diction – 5 points (3 vocab words, good word choice)

•Expression – 10 points (Creativity, descriptive language, visually appealing slides, etc.)

•Grammar – 5 points (capitalization, subject verb agreement, run-ons, fragments, etc. UNLESS explanation slide specifies non-grammar poetic license)

•Punctuation – 5 points (apostrophes; commas and periods in explanation slide)

•Spelling – 5 points (homophones and other mistakes)