Some people rhyme naturally

I'm not one of them.

I write free verse

because

it is the way I think.

1. Write your poems

by listening to your own voice.

2. Make every word count.

Extra words always take away from impact.

3. Use spacing

to

control

your reader.

4. Just say it.

Surprise the reader and yourself.

5. Make it real. Make it authentic. Make it yours alone.

Don't write what you've read, heard or seen anywhere else.

Write what only you have experienced be it a sunset or love.

You are an original. Write as the only one who sees things through your unique POV.

6. Write because you must...because something in you needs to be made real. Because something in you needs to press the keys and see your thoughts and emotions appear on a screen...out of your head. Freed.

7. Find your voice.

The one that people recognize in less than a moment as you.

Write as you speak. Write as you think. Write as your observe. Write as you feel.

8. It is never a contest. It is never to win likes. It is especially not to be affirmed by others.

9. Hone your craft. Write. Challenge yourself to write every challenge. Record every moment important in your life. Some will fail. Others succeed. It doesn't matter.

Every time you write, you get better.

10. Take time to reread, correct, edit. Never be afraid to delete or start over another day.

a poem won’t

accommodate

each reader‘s

taste level

like how some people

find salt spicy

while others need

jalapeños

to feel the full effect

of the meal

it‘s a different read

for every person

but all poems

quench a thirst

needed to understand

the human condition

a good one

holds you up

at knifepoint

going straight

for the jugular

taking an emotional toll

on the reader

How to ..

well,

I've written much poetry-

THAT SUCKS!

some is so-so,

a few Okeyish pieces.

My best work is a Haiku.

it goes like this:

The Treasure

------+++++++

Yangyang digs for gold,

up the nostril he goes deep,

inspects prize with pride.

So..first thing you do- learn to do Haikus.

they are an endless source of fun.

you can do it on a boat,

you can do it near a goat,

you can write them on a train,

you can write them in Bahrain.

NEVER be ashamed,

to wait for a flight in the airport,

and count syllables with your fingers!

maybe the love of your life,

will be impressed ...

After haikus,

do either short free verse stuff,

or an easy quatrain .

don't do sonnets yet!!

Try to poke fun of things.

a tired politician?

a half-eaten bagle ?

an Incompetent haiku writer?

take your pick,

there is plenty of ridiculous,

to go around.

soon.

without fail,

life will come crashing in.

you'll be depressed or furious.

write about it.

let it out.

if you don't want to focus on 'it',

focus on something else.

if you cleared your mind ,

whatever you choose to focus on,

is most likely going to symbolize stuff...

Go for symbolisms!!!

Do a limerick to cheer yourself up.

The strict meter and verse of the piece,

will occupy your mind.

and you will most likely do a bad job.

Do another Limerick.

Suddenly,

the constrictive nature,

of writing in verse,

seems like freedom itself!

try setting a goal-word in the verse,

one word down a few lines which you, MUST find your way towards.

the rhymes are now built into that.

after you hit that sweet spot ,

find more!!

Alternate.

between free-form and verse.

Experiment.

between diffetent types of structures.

make doodle-poems,

that graphically resemble something.

remember: when you post things, it all

remember: when you post things,

it all gets screwed up.

Try a heroic ballad.

a full story told in verse.

Try a short story with poems,

leading to stuff inside.

There's going to be plenty of:

disappointment ,

dissatisfaction,

distress,

keep the stuff you were unhappy about.

just for laughs.

read other people!

misquote, misquote, misquote!

remember the age-old adge:

'No island is a man,

but thinking makes it so.'

Attempt to describe a dank room,

in great, tedious detail.

Write more haikus.

You're doing it.

eware of the cyborgs,

and other machines of torture,

of the dread-emperor Sh'ackdoth!!!

Don't expect it to be new...

you might lay a self nude,

circle a flaw or run a bind...

Bring erasers of all kinds...

a rhythm will present itself

listening in for what is left...

Surely you've got it in you

if only my friend-in-write

you'll undamit & begin it!

07.09.2022

How to: Poetry challenge @Finder

Before picking flowers

From the meadow of words

You have to know

What they're made of

I can help like a lovely friend

There's nothing to be afraid of

First, start with the flower

As a whole bigger than parts

Arts of all kinds know it

It's a word, image, and motive

Something unique, truly

Essential, expressive, emotive

Next, look at its parts

Different but complementing

Letters are petals

And all beauty comes from them

The root keeps them in present

Meaning stems from the stem

Pick now a central flower

The main star of the bouquet

And arrange others around it

Highlighting its beauty and strengths

With great care for their feelings

Combine their colors and scents

Lengths and leaves don't matter

As long as it brightens up the room

Always remember you're a poet

And for you, words can't hurt

Nothing is written in stone

But gently planted in dirt

There's no easy way to write poetry. Making words rhyme does not mean it is am poem.

A poem is so much more that just words splattered on a piece of paper. decorated into stanzas. It can not be forced. It needs to flow like a waterfall through you. Don't force the poem, rather allow it consume you. Best poems are often a result on an emotion you can physically shown, instead you allow the ink to flow through you and share the emotions your lips are to weak to speak.

1. Keep the theme of your poem in mind as you are writing it. It's easy to get lost in the details and by the end of it, it can be hard to decipher what your poem is about.

2. Don't worry if you don't have a clear plan for your poem, just go with the flow of the writing.

3. If you hit a block, or sort of something that you cant get past in your writing, Take a break and go back to it tomorrow. Rest helps you develop ideas , it's better than sitting there with no ideas.

Begin with your innermost beliefs and still incomplete observations,

the ones you mean but cannot just say

Read your own mind like a song book,

listening for the music notes and the sounds

Express yourself in fluid form,

using metaphors and smilies to speak to what is and what is not

Act as an intermediary between your conscious and subconscious;

speak directly and indirectly all at once

Keep yourself concise and your poem short;

this isn't an essay -- it's just an idea

Time is a deceptive thing;

pick words that linger in the air and transcend time

Have a concept that sticks and resonates with the reader;

you want to be reread and reread again for content

Explain clearly and never second-guess yourself--

let the phrases stand alone and speak for themselves

Read your own words for what they mean to you,

but know that what you write could mean more to someone else

Understand your concept thoroughly

but make it abstract when you write concisely

Love your poem

but tear it apart when you edit it

Expect that someone else will understand it

but know that words cannot jump from the page to explain themselves

Success is in the eye of the beholder;

be free of the rules and expectations

Obnoxious is the reader who corrects your grammar

Futile is the effort for complete perfection

Poetry should be an outlet for your creative side;

be bold and have no fear

Remember why you chose to write your poem;

try to stay on point

Operate under the assumption your reader knows nothing;

choose words that are clear

Say a lot, but write a little;

poetry is a powerful art form

Enjoy the process --

it can be a lot of fun