Monday, April 4, 2016

Day 4 ~ How to Write an "I Am" Poem for "30 Poems in 30 Days" #NationalPoetryMonth


OK, Day 4 is upon us ~ Let's get to know each other! 

How to write an "I Am" poem ~ Don't worry - at the end, I'll share a "fill-in-the-blanks" LINK that will help you do this poem easily and quickly. Let's get started. In order to create an "I Am" poem, you need to answer certain questions!! 


. .

This "formula" form poem was one of my favorites to use as a teacher because it ended up giving me some interesting insight about my students. Some were very serious and tender, others were silly. For example ~ one boy wrote for the "I Am" line (which gets repeated over and over): "I am an honest young man who loves the Lord." (Yep, right there in school, then he went on to fill in the other lines with the type of person he tried to be ... because he was a young man who loved the Lord). However, another student wrote "I am a happy boy who loves pizza." The rest of the poem was hysterical. You can go anywhere, depending on WHO you say you ARE. Here's the form - YOU fill in the blanks BUT you must follow the instructions for each line!!

IF this feels TOO personal - make up a character or if you are writing a book, use one of your characters for this poem ~ the easiest way is to copy and paste the format onto a document page and then read the instructions and replace them with YOUR words:

Below is the line-by-line set-up for this version of the "I Am..." poem:

I Am…

1st Stanza

I am (two special characteristics you have)
I wonder (something you are actually curious about)
I hear (an imaginary sound)
I see (an imaginary sight)
I want (an actual desire)
I am (the first line of the poem is repeated)

Stanza 2

I pretend (something you really pretend to do)
I feel (a feeling about something imaginary)
I touch (something you imagine you touch)
I worry (a worry that is real to you)
I cry (something that makes you very sad)
I am (the first line of the poem is repeated)

Stanza 3

I understand (something you know is true)
I say (something you believe in)
I dream (a dream you actually have)
I try (something you make an effort to do)
I hope (something you really hope for)
I am (the first line of the poem is repeated)

~~~~~~~~~~

Been a busy, crazy and fun weekend at our house - so I'll have to come back later to share my own version but that shouldn't slow down any of you. 

To help you out - here is an ONLINE "I Am" Poem generator - 

"I Am" Poem Creator

JUST fill in the blanks ~ you'll notice it is from an elementary school website - goes to show you how simple it can be!! Enjoy!! Cheers!


PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright for to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or you FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work. 

5 comments:

j9 said...

I am lazy, but love to get things done.
I wonder how to be more self-mastered.
I hear contentment;
I see wonder all around.
I want to be of service.
I am lazy, but love to get things done.

I pretend I am from another world;
I feel I do not belong here somehow.
I touch an inner longing.
I worry I cannot get back.
I cry when a still, small voice reminds me who I am
I am lazy, but love to get things done.

I understand why I am here.
I say let me be an instrument.
I dream of being helpful.
I try to get out of myself.
I hope to lose myself,
I am lazy but I love.

Vicki said...

I am a happy loving child of God
I wonder if I show enough love to others
I hear my heart beating a staccato
I see my life when I'm done on earth
I want to be crowned with glory
I am a happy loving child of God

I pretend that I know what I'm doing
I feel Like I get better at it each day
I touch the hearts of others
I worry that they won't understand
I cry when I think of the heartache around me
I am a happy loving child of God

I understand my Heavenly Father loves me
I say I am all that he needs
I dream of His arms around me
I try to show love all around
I hope for a better tomorrow
I am I am a happy loving child of God

Heidi L. Murphy said...

I am zany and creativeI wonder why a dog will stick its head out the window and let the wind blow his ears, but if I blow in them he freaks. And I wonder why two mouses are mice but two houses are not hice. And I wonder why the first cow milker thought it would be a good idea to drink from a cow.I hear the people in my mind laughing their heads off at what I'm thinking much of the time.I see them whispering behind their invisible hands.I want go knock their heads together and tie their shoelaces in unbreakable knots.I am zany and creative
I pretend I don't care what the invisible people are saying...but I do.I feel like if I am giving them living space in my head, they should get on board with my oddball thoughts.I touched a nerve with that one, but it's true.I worry that some day the invisible people will get out and wreak havoc with my carefully cultivated reputation.I cry at the thought of all the trouble they could cause.I am zany and creative.
I understand some people might think giving invisible head people too much credence can sound lunatic.I say bite me. I'm not crazy. Just overpopulated.I dream that in the near future all the invisible head people will rise up and crown me queen.I try on crowns secretly in the mirror.I hope for a fair amount of understanding becauseI am zany and creative and totally joking.

© 2016 by H. Linn Murphy

Erica said...

I Am…

I am creative and imaginative
I wonder how science and religion connect
I hear magic spells sizzles
I see fairies sleeping
I want to get paid to tell stories
I am creative and imaginative

I pretend I have it all together
I feel I can do magic
I touch the energy from each spell
I worry about being wrong all the time
I cry when I see such world chaos
I am creative and imaginative

I understand the older I get the less I know
I say forgiveness is real
I dream of a revolution
I try to be better than the day before
I hope I never lose hope
I am creative and imaginative

Peggy Barker said...

I Am…

I am your loving grandmother
I wonder how I can influence you
I hear your cries for help
I see your wanting eyes
I want to teach you all about God
I am your loving grandmother

I pretend I can scoop you up and fly to heaven
I feel the breeze as we fly up into the sky
I touch the clouds as we soar by
I worry that your parents won't let you come
I cry when I see you not being taught
I am your loving grandmother

I understand you are your parents responsibility
I say families are forever
I dream we can all be a forever family
I try to be a good example
I hope we can always be close
I am your loving grandmother