how to write a poem

How to Write a

Poem

What makes a poema ?POEM

lines

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,Old Time is still a-flying:And this same flower that smiles to-day To-morrow will be dying.The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, The higher he 's a-getting, The sooner will his race be run, And nearer he 's to setting.

(Robert Herrick (1591–1674)

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying: and this same flower that smiles to-day to-morrow will be dying. The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, the higher he 's a-getting, the sooner will his race be run, and nearer he 's to setting.

the poet decides where the lines end

It affects …

How the poem looks to us on the page

is there a lot of w h i t e s p a c e,

lightness

air breathe

are the words packed solidly together?

It affects how fast or s l o w l y we read,

P A U S Ewhere we

when we're reading.

It makes certain words

stand out

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,Old Time is still a-flying:

PAUSE for PUNCTUATION

But being spent, the worse, and worst Times still succeed the former.

EMPHASIS

Create!