Poetry does not have to fit in a box. It does not have to rhyme or contain complex meter. A poem’s meaning does not have to hide. Poetry does not have to be romantic or “girly.” Most of all, anyone can be a poet–anyone with a pen and mind.
Listen as Douglas Florian reads on of his favorite poems from his book “Dinothesaurus.”
Using Doug Florian as your mentor, create a short poem that captures your “topic’s” characteristics and personality. Choose a “topic”. Then, find pairs of rhyming words that inspire you to look at your “topic” in a humorous or imaginative way. Try to make your poem rhyme in unusual ways. Try using a neologism or putting two words together to make an original word.
Finished already? How about writing another, or drawing an illustration to accompany your poem?
