Day 26 ~ How to Write a “Senses Poem” for “30 Poems in 30 Days” #NationalPoetryMonth

You can have lots of fun with this poem and its variations. There is no need to worry about rhyming or counting syllables, although it does have other requirements (basically just to “fill in the blanks”) and it can be pulled together in several ways – try each of them, if you wish, or just choose one way to share your poem.

So first, everyone is familiar with the “FIVE SENSES” ~ sight, smell, hear, touch, and taste. 

But many have argued that there are SIX SENSES if you consider your mind ("I think") as one of the senses. 

Hence, we are writing a FIVE SENSES and/or SIX SENSES POEM today!! Cheers!!

Chose a topic and describe it using each of your six senses, one per line/

Here is a SIX SENSES format to follow, BUT feel free to rearrange the order the various senses you use to describe your object/topic.

1.  I see ____________________________

    2.  I smell ___________________________

    3.  I hear ___________________________

    4.  I feel (as in touch) __________________

    5.  I taste ____________________________ 

    6.  I think ____________________________

Now, if you want to concentrate on the FIVE SENSES – you can change “I see” to "It looks like," etc.

1. It looks like (instead of I see) _________________

2. It smells like _______________________________

3. It sounds like (instead of I hear) _______________ 

4. It feels like _________________________________

5. It tastes like ________________________________

So, you CAN just leave it like it is once you fill in the blanks (in any order using either five or six senses) and remove the numbers; you don’t need those. That will give you a great poem by just doing that.

OR you can remove most of the PRONOUNS, VERBS, and ARTICLES and get a new effect.

Think of a place that is special. Form an image in your mind of this place. Then complete the following statements.

Here’s my example, taken step-by-step.

(I grew up in southern California and would go to the beach every chance I got)  . . .

First – fill in the blanks:

1.  I see ______________   the breaking waves

2.  I smell _____________  the seaweed-tinged air

3.  I hear ______________  the seagulls squawking overhead

4.  I feel (as in touch) ____  the wet sand squishing between my toes

5.  I taste ______________  the salty ocean water

6.  I think ______________  I’m back in my childhood heaven

OK, so, if I remove the line numbers and get rid of the lines it turns out like this:

I see the breaking waves

I smell the seaweed-tinged air

I hear the seagulls squawking overhead

I feel the wet sand squishing between my toes

I taste the salty ocean water

I think I’m back in my childhood heaven

© 2017 Stephanie Abney

And that makes a nice poem BUT, if I remove most of the pronouns, verbs and articles, then I get this one; also a very nice poem:

breaking waves

seaweed-tinged air

seagulls squawking overhead

wet sand squishing between my toes

salty ocean water

my childhood heaven 

         © 2017 Stephanie Abney

And that makes a new version of the same poem and it’s pretty cool as well.

OR you can use the other format with FIVE senses and follow the same steps; fill in the blanks, then take away the numbers and even remove the pronouns, select verbs and articles and see what you get:

1. It looks like (instead of I see) _________________ 

2. It smells like _______________________________

3. It sounds like (instead of I hear) _______________

4. It feels like _________________________________

5. It tastes like ________________________________

So, there are a few different ways to approach this type of poem. Enjoy!!

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 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 your 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.