Whether just starting as a poet, or well-experienced, you can learn by imitation. Choose a poem by another poet, classic or modern, and write a poem in the same style. There's a few ways you could approach this:
- Write a poem as a direct response to the subject.
- Write your own poem inspired by the topic.
- Follow the poetry form only.
Here's an example of one of my early poems. I personalized Emily Dickinson's "This is My Letter to the World." I kept it in a similar style, and thought: What would I say to the world?
My Letter to the World
What do I have to say to the world
That all but deserted me?
Would anyone listen to a single soul
Through the unheard art of poetry?
Although surrounded by others,
Wanting my voice to be heard,
I’m often isolated
For no one will hear my words.
Can I make a difference in someone’s life,
As others did in mine?
Will anyone read the simple words
That I wrote in my spare time?
I may be a shy, quiet person
But I have a message of my own;
Won’t someone come and discover
The soul within my poems.
The message of my poem remains true today. I want my voice, my poems, to be heard. Which is why I am giving away a free copy of my new poetry book, Chiaroscuro. One week left to enter. Go here to the blog post with the Rafflecopter giveaway.
I'd love it if you shared your own poem based on the prompt.
