Writing poetry presents a perfect opportunity to exercise
one's imagination and language skills while having fun. Let the Poems
Begin! provides a published poet's insight and practical suggestions
for beginners, with hundreds of topics for class discussion, original
poems, and motivational writing exercises. Written in a friendly,
accessible manner, this book proves that poetry can be fun and rewarding
-- whether you're reading it or writing it!
Let the Poems Begin! is an intriguing anthology of
over 100 captivating poems. It is not an academic tome of grammar and
poetic theory. Rather, its pages offer teachers and students a fresh
approach to reading and writing poems -- a way to look at poetry from a
personal perspective.
Chapter Titles:
Chapter One: Getting
Started
Chapter Two: Taking a
Closer Look
Chapter Three: Learning
to Enjoy Poetry
Chapter Four: Rhymes and
Fixed Forms
Chapter Five: Making
Revisions
Chapter Six: Imitation
and Inspiration
Chapter Seven: A Final
Word
Sample Poems from Let the Poems Begin!
Two limericks:
The python climbed up in the tree.
Where it crawled to, I couldn't quite see.
So I stood their in fear
Hoping I wouldn't hear
Something slither down softly on me.
When bending to sniff at the rose,
A bumblebee flew on her nose.
The bee wouldn't sting
That long, ugly thing
That he thought was a green garden hose.
Two Quatrains:
Ice Storms
The crinkle, crackle of the ice
And glitter, gleaming of the sun
Create an artist's paradise.
But limbs of trees don't have much fun.
Cloudburst
A cloudburst is more picturesque
Than is a quiet sprinkle.
I sit entranced behind my desk
And watch the windows wrinkle.
Night of the Centipedes
Track stars on my bedroom walls.
I called them enemy, war-mongers,
moderators of nightmares.
I screamed for reinforcements,
dug a blanketed foxhole,
did not see Mom take aim
with bazooka newspaper.
I heard explosions,
peeked from covers to see
new roses on daisy'd wallpaper.
Mom kissed my forehead.
I wished her to stay,
but I dared not tell her.
Eyelids frozen, I fought sleep.
Clattering beyond my pillow
were dreams of bloody legs.
The Last Time I Did Homework
Last month I did some homework,
And then my puppy ate it.
He growled at me, so it was clear
That even puppies hate it.
I told my teacher that my puppy
Thinks it's mighty cruel:
That awful-tasting homework
We're asked to learn for school.
She said to bring my puppy in
The next day, and no later.
But when the two came face to face,
My foolish puppy ate her.
