An Introduction to Poetry

Poetry seems to exist a half-step between reality and our imagination.  When reading or writing poetry, we often find ourselves seeing moments we recognize from our lives painted in the unexpected language of dreams.  Surprising descriptions and images that wouldn’t normally make sense strike us as true, and even the sounds of the words create a type of meaning found nowhere else.  Whether you’re writing poetry in a strict form or letting the words tell you where to go, poetry has the power to communicate and connect with others in a way no other genre, or type of writing, can.

Poetry plays with words and language in wide range of ways.  The following are just a few of the most common ways to add some flair to your poetry.

Metaphors are comparisons between two things that are actually very different.  We use metaphors all the time without realizing it – we call a piece of junk car a lemon, a nasty person a rat, a wonderful person an angel – the list goes on and on.  The metaphors that we use everyday aren’t as exciting as the ones you can come up with on your own, however.  The more unique or unexpected your metaphor is, the more interesting your poem will become.

          Example: My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun

A simile is simply a metaphor that uses the word “like” or “as” when making a comparison. 

          Example: Music sounds like honey to my ears.

Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound.  Playing with the way a poem sounds is a great way to enrich your poetry.

Example: Rain races, ripping like wind. Its restless rage roars like rocks rattling the roof.

A hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration.   

Example: I could sleep for a year.

Personification gives a human characteristic or ability to something that isn’t human.

Example: The moon is smiling down on us tonight.

An onomatopoeia is a word that is spelled like it sounds.

          Example: Hiss, buzz, fizz, pop