Day 17 – How to Write a “Personification Poem” for “30 Poems in 30 Days” #NationalPoetryMonth

So, you’ll have some leeway in writing your poem(s) today in that I’m only suggesting they contain personification (lots of it, if possible), but use any format you wish. Why is personification useful? It provides energy, emotion, greater description, and personality to your writing, among other things.

We use personification quite frequently in our daily conversations: 

1. My phone died.
2. The beach is calling my name.
3. The rain kissed her cheeks.
4. The wind seems so angry today.
5. My car hates me.
6. Lightning danced overhead.
7. That chocolate bar spoke to me.

Nursery rhymes are good examples: Hey, Diddle Diddle . . . the dish ran away with the spoon

Using personification in poetry can be very effective. It works really well when writing about nature or the weather. Think about the personification done in Beauty and the Beast – the clock, candelabra, teapot, etc.

So, it’s helpful to do a little brainstorming. Think of some intimate objects. Just look around the room or in a picture book for ideas. Think of some human characteristics or traits that you can attribute to it (try to come up with strong words). For example: an oak tree might be depicted as strong, unyielding, protective, etc.

Choose a poetic form ~ free verse is probably the easiest for a personification poem but try writing one within the limitations of a specific type of poetry – several we have done this year require a certain number of syllables per line. Use one of those, if you wish. I hope you have time to experiment with several poems, and try out more than one poetry from. Just make it a poem that features personification. It’s quite fun.

So, here’s an example using yesterday’s poetry form ~ rictameter (a set number of syllables per line). Not a great example, but you get the idea ~

Camry

My Toyota

A dear and loyal friend

Patiently endures my road trips

We’ve listened to many audio books

She likes Fablehaven books best

My car’s a refuge and

Dependable

Camry 

When I used to teach school I always had the kids write personification poetry about the weather when we studied it in science. They were so creative. Looking forward to your personification poems. 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. 

MAY DAY ~ May 1st ~ MORE POETRY? Why not?

So for those of you who followed along during the month of April – whether you posted your poems here or somewhere else or just kept them to yourself, I’m glad you joined us. It was so much fun I kind of hate to see it end. 

So, for MAY DAY, May 1^st, I thought I would share a few links were you can go and find some of your own info on poetry and keep exploring other forms of poetry and revisit the poems we wrote during the month and create some new ones!!

Here’s a couple for you to try out that we didn’t get to:

Sonnets – VERY explicit and detailed instructions on how to write a sonnet – after you read it – you will be an expert and be surprised that, YES, you can write one too!! http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/sonnets/how-to-write-a-sonnet/

Personification – A figure of speech where inanimate objects and/or animals are given human characteristics and attributes. http://literarydevices.net/personification/

You can get GREAT ideas at “My Word Wizard” ~ dedicated to helping you find the right assortment of words to express any sentiment http://www.mywordwizard.com/

Great site for how to ideas on poems – aimed at kids – but anyone can learn from it:

http://www.gigglepoetry.com/

Another helpful site – regardless your age: http://www.poetry4kids.com/

At any rate – I’m glad you’ve been showing up at my blog and I hope you’ll check back in now and then and see what I’m up to. As a writer and retired teacher (and a mother and grandmother) I tend to have a keen interest in education, writing and family life, but you never know what I might post on don’t be a stranger. Cheers!!

 

DAY THIRTY!! "Questad Poem" for 30 Poems in 30 Days" #NationalPoetryMonth

Well, my poetic friends, looks like we have come to the end of "National Poetry Month." Kind of feels sad, doesn't it? I hope you have had fun and will continue to write poetry – do some searches for various types of poems. The list is endless (a little hyperbole for ya’).

I thought for the last day (although I may be on a roll and continue to do poetry posts for a while (although NOT every day – phew!!) ~ Anyway, the Questad Poem is a poem that brings it all together – many of the things we have learned or practiced this month are contained in this unique and somewhat uncommon poetry form. I have included a chart with details created by Carolyn Osborne, a teacher.

Have fun – my poem for this form is just below the chart. ENJOY!!

Line	Directions	Example	Your Draft
1	Title—topic of poem	Cars By Eric Harker
2	Personification	They seem to sing when you rev up the engine
3	Hyperbole	The sound is sweeter than honey
4	Alliteration	Purring proudly like a pack of panthers
5	Onomatopoeia	VROOM!
6	Metaphor	It is a shiny dream in the eyes of a child,
7	Simile	Speeding like the space shuttle
8	Imagery	Gleaming with silvery metallic paint along a black road of fragrant tar.

NO idea why that one title header - example - is purple - go figure.

Anyway, I got the above chart from: Poetry Alternatives (and if you go there – it will pull up a 22 page doc that has lots of poetry forms and instructions) – for your continued poetry writing pleasure.

Poems,
Heartsongs made visible,
Rising from the depths of my soul,
Pretty, poised parcels of perfection, 
Pitter-patter through my mind.
Poems are microscopic slides of slices of my life,
Dancing through my days like a prima ballerina,
Revealing my authentic self; raw, vulnerable and honest. 

              © 2014 Stephanie Abney

It's been a GREAT month - thanks for participating!!