Basics about poetry
Basics about poetry
In this series of articles, I will give you short tips about writing poetry. I will not write things that are complicated, nor will I write long paragraphs. I am someone interested only with basics. If you have your contributions based on my article point them out.
Poetry is about patterns and rhythm
This is something you should understand. When writing a poem you are creating patterns and rhythms.
However, you should also be communicating something to your readers.
Patterns are shown by how the poem looks like. For example, one pattern is to have every stanza of a poem having the same number of lines.
Each stanza may have four lines, for example.
The other pattern is on the length of the lines. Craft your lines to have similar lengths.
The other pattern could be an enjambment, where one a sentence starts from one line and ends into another line.
So, when you write poems, be conscious of the patterns you create. Poets like things that are systematic and predictable.
As you have seen, patterns are about visual impressions, the other side is the auditory impressions. By auditory impressions, we are talking about the sound system.
As a poet, you have to create similar sound patterns. Creation of rhymes is to cater for the sound patterns or rhythms.
Some poets make use of metre in their writing. This is all made to create rhythm. To me, rhythm is the pattern in sound.
Implications
How do you make use of this knowledge? There are a number of things you have to do:
Study poetry: When you study poetry, analyse the pattern systems that the poem has.
Look at the length of the stanza.
Look at the number of lines each stanza has.
In some cases, the first stanza acts an introduction and can have a different number of lines as to all other stanzas.
The last stanza can be created as a conclusion and in this case, it should have a similar number of lines as the introduction, but different from all other stanzas.
For any form or structure of a poem, analyse the reason for the poet to use it.
When writing your own poem, ask yourself the significance of any format/pattern you are using.
Study the rhythm
With the structure of the poem, you look at various aspects described above. However, you can learn to understand rhythm by doing two things:
When you read poems, take time to read it aloud. By doing that you create awareness in you of how good poetry should sound like.
After writing your poem, read it aloud to hear if it sounds well.
A good poem should have good pattern systems, physically and auditorily.
Conclusion
From time to time, I will give you short lessons on writing poetry. Whereas for a few more days, I will be posting in many poetry groups, in the future, I will only post in our poetry group, called the African Writers' Bureau.
By joining this group you will receive free guidance and free practical tutorials.
We are currently using two groups, Facebook and telegram
Join our groups for updates.
Telegram group
Facebook group
Poetry Course
Some are already members, thank you for being part of the community.
You can also visit our Poetry writing course, where you read the tutorials for free:
Enjoy one of my poems
Don't Cry for me
When you hear of my disablement
Let your minds have amnesia over it
Dotage would be too intense,
But in all don't cry for me.
My eyes squint in the sun
Eyeing nowhere but a dot of the cloud
Over the distant horizon.
My hands holding tightly a wheel chair
Going nowhere, but to a garden stool
Set on the back of the cottage
Where bougainvilleas are climbers
Of jacaranda trees.
I see life in you,
And there is life in me
As when ants crawl onto my feet
Their feel rise to my spine
Their biting a terrible taste
Slowly, I let my hand droop
Scratching those ants from mine skin
So in all, am I not able-?
After all don't cry for me.
My mind weak, my personality a weakling
My resolutions archaic, my reasoning stupendous
My plans short sighted.
They can steal from me, they can con me
They can shout at me,
Or laugh at:
But in all don't cry for me.
In this series of articles, I will give you short tips about writing poetry. I will not write things that are complicated, nor will I write long paragraphs. I am someone interested only with basics. If you have your contributions based on my article point them out.
Poetry is about patterns and rhythm
This is something you should understand. When writing a poem you are creating patterns and rhythms.
However, you should also be communicating something to your readers.
Patterns are shown by how the poem looks like. For example, one pattern is to have every stanza of a poem having the same number of lines.
Each stanza may have four lines, for example.
The other pattern is on the length of the lines. Craft your lines to have similar lengths.
The other pattern could be an enjambment, where one a sentence starts from one line and ends into another line.
So, when you write poems, be conscious of the patterns you create. Poets like things that are systematic and predictable.
As you have seen, patterns are about visual impressions, the other side is the auditory impressions. By auditory impressions, we are talking about the sound system.
As a poet, you have to create similar sound patterns. Creation of rhymes is to cater for the sound patterns or rhythms.
Some poets make use of metre in their writing. This is all made to create rhythm. To me, rhythm is the pattern in sound.
Implications
How do you make use of this knowledge? There are a number of things you have to do:
Study poetry: When you study poetry, analyse the pattern systems that the poem has.
Look at the length of the stanza.
Look at the number of lines each stanza has.
In some cases, the first stanza acts an introduction and can have a different number of lines as to all other stanzas.
The last stanza can be created as a conclusion and in this case, it should have a similar number of lines as the introduction, but different from all other stanzas.
For any form or structure of a poem, analyse the reason for the poet to use it.
When writing your own poem, ask yourself the significance of any format/pattern you are using.
Study the rhythm
With the structure of the poem, you look at various aspects described above. However, you can learn to understand rhythm by doing two things:
When you read poems, take time to read it aloud. By doing that you create awareness in you of how good poetry should sound like.
After writing your poem, read it aloud to hear if it sounds well.
A good poem should have good pattern systems, physically and auditorily.
Conclusion
From time to time, I will give you short lessons on writing poetry. Whereas for a few more days, I will be posting in many poetry groups, in the future, I will only post in our poetry group, called the African Writers' Bureau.
By joining this group you will receive free guidance and free practical tutorials.
We are currently using two groups, Facebook and telegram
Join our groups for updates.
Telegram group
Facebook group
Poetry Course
Some are already members, thank you for being part of the community.
You can also visit our Poetry writing course, where you read the tutorials for free:
Enjoy one of my poems
Don't Cry for me
When you hear of my disablement
Let your minds have amnesia over it
Dotage would be too intense,
But in all don't cry for me.
My eyes squint in the sun
Eyeing nowhere but a dot of the cloud
Over the distant horizon.
My hands holding tightly a wheel chair
Going nowhere, but to a garden stool
Set on the back of the cottage
Where bougainvilleas are climbers
Of jacaranda trees.
I see life in you,
And there is life in me
As when ants crawl onto my feet
Their feel rise to my spine
Their biting a terrible taste
Slowly, I let my hand droop
Scratching those ants from mine skin
So in all, am I not able-?
After all don't cry for me.
My mind weak, my personality a weakling
My resolutions archaic, my reasoning stupendous
My plans short sighted.
They can steal from me, they can con me
They can shout at me,
Or laugh at:
But in all don't cry for me.
Quite informative. Keep up the good work.
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