Bible: 5 Poetic Books

Lesson 8: So What's It All Mean, Then?

More poetry ideas

Life is full of places to find ideas for your poetry. I LOVE the Bible as a source of inspiration, of course, but here are a few other places you can turn to for ideas:

1. Other books you enjoy. As an example, I have some sample columns on another website for you: www.upwithlearning.net . Here's a free sample for you (they're all free!):

GET Poetic! Using the dictionary to create poetry

By Charles Baker

The dictionary? That dry, watch-the-grass-grow kind of reading? You’re not actually going to tell me to read the dictionary, are you?

Well, let’s try a single word:

ABECEDARIAN: adj. In alphabetic order.

Abecedarian poetry is usually free verse poetry. That means that there is usually no set rhyme or line length. The organization for the poem comes from the alphabet. Each word begins with the next consecutive letter of the alphabet, and all 26 letters are used (making each poem 26 words long). As an example, take a look at the following two poems:

DADA ENTRY

Father greets His Isaac James, Kisses loving mother.

Nearing offspring, Papa quietly rounds Son’s teddy universe,

Vaulting worlds Xing yonder zenith Above baby’s crib.

The poem begins with the title words, which cover the letters d (Dada) and e (Entry). The next word must begin with f (father) and so on. . . until we reach the letter c (crib), which wraps us back to the d in Dada.

It’s a good idea to gather a list of words you might use first, according to some theme. Then, see how they connect together, and if you may need alternate choices for any of your selections. For example, when I wanted to write a poem about submitting poetry, I used many words related to the craft: entry, journals, labor, quatrains, sestinas, villanelles, and writers. Here’s the poem:

ENTRY FARE

Grasping honor in journals?

Knowing labor makes neighbors Of publishers:

Quatrains rehashed, Sestinas trashed,

Unwanted villanelles— Writers’ x-rated yells,

Zip aimlessly by, Cursing deadeye!

Each of the above poems has twenty-six words (including the title), arranged in order ( though it’s not necessary to begin each poem with the letter “A”).

You might notice that I’ve gone a step further, and linked the titles of the poems. The first poems in this series are called “African Blues”, “Blues Control”, and “Control Dada”. The three following the examples are “Fare Game”, “Game Hunter”, and “Hunter Instruction”. You get the idea . . . It’s an extra effort that can tie a body of work together nicely.

Forms can also change. Notice that my first poem is completely free verse, but the second, “Entry Fare”, contains internal rhyme (“labor / neighbor”) and three sets of rhyming couplets (“rehashed / trashed”; “villanelles/yells”; “by/deadeye”) . This structure is much harder, much more restrictive—but a good challenge!

The dictionary comes in handy for k, q, x, and z words, and sometimes, you just have to GET creative!

Now you know your A-B-C’s, Won’t you write a verse with me?

Until next time, remember to GET Poetic!

aMUSEingly yours, Chuck Baker

2. Friends.

3. Family.

4. Great teachers /great teaching.

5. Experience.

6. Highs and lows.

7. Children.

8. Favorite places.

9. Television.

10. The Internet.

11. Music.

12. Art.

13. Theatre.

14. Dance.

15. The best and the worst.

16. Favorites.

17. Memories.

18. Photographs.

19. Newspapers and magazines.

20. Your favorite face to look at.

Explore a variety of forms and figurative language. Learn as you go. Keep a journal. But above all else,

GET POETIC!

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