Write a poem;
A quality poem is expected to make effective use of:
• Figures of speech
• Poetic techniques - sound devices
• Graphic elements - presentation
One of the aims of poetry is freedom of expression—the expression of emotions and feelings, ideas and desires, longings and regrets, joy and pain. Keep in mind that sentiment in and of itself does not make quality poetry—you must be able to look at your own work honestly and objectively, and be willing to take criticism from others.
When writing a poem, often the most difficult task is finding a topic. Without a strong feeling, your poetry will fail to resonate with others and, most importantly, it will fail to resonate with you. Your topic, therefore, should be an offspring of feeling—something you care for or despise, wish for or enjoy, laugh over, cry over, or sigh over.
Re-examine some of the poems we have read in class to discern how the poets use language to convey various types of feelings and ideas. Your poem should contain various figures of speech—similes, metaphors, symbols, and personification. Use images to convey sensory details that appeal to all five senses—sight, sound, touch, smell, taste. Be creative—seasons have aromas, objects have attitudes, emotions have texture, experiences have flavor. Try to capture the tone or mood of your topic—the sounds of words have the capacity to convey moods even more powerfully than the meanings of the words.
Choose a style that you are comfortable with. Free verse offers the freedom to choose words and sounds without constraints of rhyme or meter, but the beat of a rhyming quatrain can be comforting to a novice poet because of its structure. The choice is up to you. Consider sound devices such as alliteration, onomatopoeia, consonance, and assonance.