Day 2 ~ How to Write a “Couplet Poem” for “30 Poems in 30 Days" #NationalPoetryMonth

I love introducing a couplet poem on Day 2 – seems appropriate, that a couple of days into the poetry writing challenge, we should write a couplet. And it’s SO basic that we should address it early on in the month. Every poet should know how to write a couplet. It can be the basis of other poems and it’s only TWO lines of poetry. How easy is that?

Carefully stringing thoughts along
Into lovely little word-songs.

                      © 2014 ~ Stephanie Abney

Although I’ve seen some that are totally random, the dictionary definition of a “couplet” suggests that they usually consist of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter. The above example has 8 beats in each line and the endings rhyme well enough. So ~

Another thing to remember when writing a couplet is that those two lines really need to be able to stand alone, expressing a complete thought in two mid-sized poetic lines. The last words of each line should rhyme. It can be spiritual or silly or romantic or whatever suits your fancy – couplets are great to write for children or with children.

It is possible to string a bunch of couplets together to create a longer poem, but for today – just try creating one or more individual 2-line couplets. Oh, and a couplet can be about ANY subject. What’s on your mind? How about putting together a couple of thoughts on the subject, rhyme the ending words and aim for the same meter on each line. What can you come up with?

Here a couple of couplets (hee hee) that I wrote about six years ago. Anyway, here they are, for what they’re worth (one is simple; the other is silly).

~ I was thinking about the Lord's tender mercies and came up with this:

I know the Lord is mindful of me,

And it makes me happy as can be.

 
                             © 2011 by Stephanie Abney

~ then, in a moment of frustration, I thought a little on "getting one's nose out of joint" and came up with this:
 

 

Writing this little assignment,

Puts my nose out of alignment.

 
                               © 2011 by Stephanie Abney

 

Did you think of a couplet? Just look around and think on an object or an emotion and give it a shot!!

Last night I managed to get my daughter and her four children, as young as five, to come up with “Lantern Poems.” I even wrangled one out of my husband, Jim. It was lots of fun. So, in memory of our lovely evening, I wrote:

Writing poems with the family is fun.

But it makes me sad to see that now we’re done.

                               © 2017 by Stephanie Abney