Unlocking Poetry: A Simple Guide to Writing Free Verse
Have you ever wanted to write poetry but felt unsure of where to start?
You’re not alone. If you enjoy the beauty of words and the play of language, tiptoeing into poetry is a great place to begin. Whether you are adding creative writing to your language arts curriculum or looking for a refreshing, hands-on lesson for your homeschool students, this post is an invitation to anyone who wants to try their hand at writing a poem—all messy first drafts are welcome!
Here you’ll find poetry-writing basics, including definitions, examples, and step-by-step how-to’s for guiding homeschool students (and yourself!) through writing a free verse poem.
Poetry Basics
- THE WORD ‘POEM’ comes from the Greek word poiema, meaning “a made thing.” Poiema is often translated in the New Testament as “workmanship,” where the Apostle Paul says we are God’s workmanship, God’s “poem.” In essence, a poem is a thing that is made or created—a wonderful reminder for students as they practice expressing their own unique creativity.
- POETRY at its core is distilled language, an intentional process where word choice and economy of language matter. Poems pack their punch by saying more with fewer words. This makes poetry an excellent exercise for homeschool students working on clear, powerful communication, especially in a free verse poem.
- THE FORM OF POETRY: People often compare poetry to prose as different genres. However, PROSE and POETRY (or verse) are modes—forms of writing—and any genre can occur in either form. So how can students tell the difference?
- In Prose, there are no defined line breaks; sentences or phrases go all the way to the edge of the page without turning back early, as they do in a poem. (The word ‘verse’ is from the Latin versa, meaning “to turn.”)
- Free verse poems do not have end rhymes, but are driven by line breaks where poets pay close attention to end words, focusing on language that encourages readers to turn and read the next line to complete a thought. This writing feature is called enjambment. Sometimes there is punctuation such as a comma; sometimes there is no punctuation, and the reader’s eyes move smoothly to the next line.
The purpose of a poem is to convey an idea, thought, or feeling through strong images that resonate with the reader. Some of the best poems connect with readers using metaphors—an essential literary device for young writers to master.
The word metaphor comes from the Greek meta (“over” or “across”) and pheirein (“to carry” or “bear”). In other words, a metaphor is a bridge from a tangible item to something intangible, like a thought, feeling, or idea. These tangible items become containers for intangible expressions, giving an abstract idea a concrete form. Words like bowl, feather, boat, shell, rock, or house can be bridges between a physical representation and an idea or emotion.
A metaphor is different from a simile, which compares two things using the words “like” or “as,” while a metaphor makes a direct comparison by stating that one thing is another thing. A simile keeps an obvious distance between the two things being compared, inviting readers to see a similarity, whereas a metaphor collapses that distance and directly equates the two without using “like” or “as.”
Example:
Her voice was like honey. (Simile)
Her voice was honey. (Metaphor)
An example of this—stating that one thing is another thing—is here in my poem Pressed into Joy, where a cruet of olive oil becomes something altogether different: the life of Jesus as he was “pressed” in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Pressed into Joy
Golden oil in
rounded vessel
liquid light
refracting sun in shimmers.
Mirrored shape
reflects on glassy surface
and I wonder at the
drop, drop, drops
of light as they
drip, drip, drip
down.
All this tasting
joyfulness because
something was crushed
and pressed,
leaving light.
from my book “Hearts on Pilgrimage-Poems & Prayers” Act III
How to Write Your Free Verse Poem: Step-by-Step for Homeschoolers
Use these four steps to guide your homeschool students through the creative process from start to finish!
1. BRAINSTORM
- Choose a physical item from this short list: kite, feather, boat, shell, rock, house (or have students select an object from nature or around the house) to start your brainstorm.
- Draw a circle in the middle of a blank page with 6–8 spokes going out like sun rays or a wonky sunflower. This circle is the container that will hold your tangible item.
- Using the word in the middle, add 6–8 phrases that come to mind expressing the emotion or idea you want to communicate.
- For example, if you chose the word feather, what thought, feeling, or idea could it convey? Here are some phrases that came to mind:
- Strength for lifting
- Light on the air
- Curved to hold
2. ROUGH DRAFT
- Now, flesh out the phrases from your word web into 6–8 sentences (or more if inspiration strikes!).
- Arrange the phrases/sentences into a poem.
- Write out your 6–8 lines on a clean sheet as your rough draft. Remind students that first drafts are allowed to be messy!
- Read the draft of your poem out loud. Now you’re ready to revise.
3. REVISING
- Erase or cross out words, and rearrange sentences to convey your thoughts more clearly.
- Can you find more descriptive words (adjectives) to use?
- What about line length? What does the poem look like on the page? See if you can arrange your phrases to look even-ish, which is pleasing to the eye.
- Avoid ending a line with articles like a, an, or the. You want to keep the reader’s eyes moving smoothly from the end of one line to the next.
- Encourage students to use strong nouns, vivid adjectives, and active verbs to do this.
4. FINAL DRAFT
Rewrite your final draft on a clean sheet of paper (or type and illustrate it for your homeschool portfolio), and sit back—my friend, you have written a poem!
If you would like these step-by-step instructions for writing a free verse poem in an easy-to-read checklist for your homeschool student’s binder, click the graphic below for your FREE download!
