“The Healing Power of Poetry” Part 1: Reflect

Reflect on your response to the last question in our article of the week, “The Power of Poetry During a Pandemic.” You chose a moment to discuss. This moment could be happy, sad, exciting, boring, or otherwise. Today you are going to turn this moment into an original poem. You DO NOT need to share anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, but you do need to share something that you have feel or memories associated with. In the space provided, discuss this moment and its significance to you. You may choose a new moment, as well.

Part 2: Brainstorm

Now that you have chosen your “moment,” brainstorm what you might want to include or convey in your poem. Write down words, ideas, colors, images, anything that you associate with that period in time- it will help you out later!

Part 3: Create

Here is where you put your ideas into action! The hardest part is the first line- so if you are stuck, pretend that you are already in the middle of the action, or remember that you can come back and rework your first line a million times after you have created a working draft. Once you have a draft, go back through your piece and edit it for clarity. Consider what thoughts/ images/ ideas you want to share lines, and the message that you want your audience to take away from it. Do you want to repeat any lines for emphasis like Dr. King? Do you want to have a progression of ideas like Langston Hughes? Are you reflecting on the past, and your mixed emotions like Joseph Bruchac? Are you choosing an image to use as a metaphor for your experience, like Tupac Shakur? There is no right or wrong way to write a poem.

Part 4: Summation/ Explanation

Now that you have finished your poem, what were you trying to convey through it? What would you want your audience to know? What was your overall message or lesson for your reader?

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