Would you like to write a poem? Here are a few poems you can try.
Write a Clerihew.
•A clerihew is a funny poem about a specific person.
•They are four lines long.
•They have 2 rhyming couplets: the first and second lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other.
•The first line names a person, and the second line ends with something that rhymes with the name of the person.
•The third line has a new rhyme, and the fourth line rhymes with it.
•A clerihew should be funny, but not rude.
Here is an example of a Clerihew I wrote about a teacher I know.
Miss Harris
My teacher Miss Harris
would love to go to Paris,
but she can’t leave town
because she’s in lockdown.
Write a Limerick
•A limerick is a funny or unusual poem that consists of five lines.
•Lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme.
•Lines 3 and 4 rhyme.
•Lines 1, 2 and 5 should have 7 to 10 syllables
•Lines 3 and 4 are shorter and should have 5 to 7 syllables.
•Limericks have a very distinct rhythm when you read them aloud.
•Limericks often follow this pattern:
There once was a da from dadah,
who dada da dada da dah.
She dada da dah
and dada da dah.
Da dada da dada da dah.
If that doesn’t make sense, read this example I wrote:
The Poetry Teacher
There once was a poet from West Beach
who didn’t know which poems to teach.
She taught a strange rhyme
but thought it a crime,
then hid all her poems out of reach.
When you have written a poem
When you have written your poem, you may paste it into the comments box on the Your Poem page. I will approve it (which may take about a week), so you can look back in a week or so and see your poem on this website.
If you are a Children’s University student, you can show your poem to your School Co-ordinator for a 30 minute stamp.
© Kristin Martin 2020