ACROSTIC POETRY
Today we're going to write some simple poetry. This brand of poetry is called acrostic poetry. This
style of poetry begins with a stem, an up and down line. In an acrostic poem, the title !or subject" is
written down the page. One letter goes on each line; they should all be capital letters. It looks like
this:
A
C
R
Now, if we left it this way, we would have nothing but a dead stick. We need to add life
to the stem. We can add leaves in the form of words. We will use the capital letters to
start the leaves. You can choose to use one word or a string of words#a phrase. As the
author, only you can decide which words work best. All that matters is that you choose
words or phrases that are about the stem word.
O
S
T
I
C
Here are two very short examples of acrostic poems:
C
unning
D
igs under the fence
A
and
O
ften licks my face
T
ricky
G
ets mud on my clothes
Now you try it! Your word is frog. Think of four words or phrases that will make people
think of a frog.
F
R
O
G
Use your name to write your own acrostic. Use the space below.
CONCRETE POEMS
CONCRETE POEMS
Futurum
Lorem ipsumdolor
Faucibus sapien risus in risus. In
mattis, libero a hendrerit faucibus.
Consectetuer adip
Sed et dui sed mauris faucibused
atlt leo vel dolor ultricies.
Etiam consequaterat
Faucibus sapien risus in risus. In
mattis, libero a hendrerit faucibus.
A concrete poem or picture poem is one that takes the
shape of the object it describes. Picture poetry can be
simple or complex; how detailed your picture comes out is
up to you. You don’t have to worry about rhyme, rhythm,
or meter.
Forming a triangle out of words is pretty easy !look left".
It is also possible to form ovals or other tree#like shapes.
You can also use sentences, lists of related words, or repeat
words over and over. For your assignment, however, you
must use sentences rather than a list of repeated
words.
Another fun shape for picture poetry is the circle or ball.
We can ll the ball with words, or the words can wind
around the outside of a circle, like the example below. You
might want to create a picture poem of a balloon, a lolli#
pop, the sun or the moon.
Some of the more complex picture poetry I have seen was
shaped like people. Another one was shaped like a rosebud
on a long stem with leaves. I’ve also seen iPods and horses.
Shoes
Sho
es, Shoes
everybody loves s
hoes. Red
ones, gre
een ones
and purple
ones too!
Heels, flat
s, even ten
nis shoes
are what i
love to shop
for....I can handle ab
out one
hundr
ed pairs
mor
e! Wea
r the
m with
blue
jeans,
lea
ther, e
ve
n with
a
swea
ter!
If you
know
me as well as you think you
do y
ou’ll know just how much I love
sho
es. Shoes are what I live for. All I wa
nt f
or Christmas is more shoes. Hey Mom that’s
good
news! Please or please get me more shoe
s. N
ow you know I how much I love shoes, yo
get
the clue. Morghan Barnes
*Your nal assignment is to create another picture
poem, this time using your imagination to come up
with something di$erent. Your poem can be any#
thing you want. Think about something that you
are interested in and write a poem about it. Use a
separate sheet of paper to create your poem in
color. Look at these examples here for help. Re!
member, however, that you may not just
write words over and over.
Textbook Pg 855
FREE VERSE
Free Verse is poetry that has no regular rhyme scheme or meter.
Notice that the following poem has no rhyme scheme or meter.
YOUR CATFISH FRIEND !
by Richard Brautigan
If I were to live my life
in catsh forms
in scaffolds of skin and whiskers
at the bottom of a pond
and you were to come by
one evening
when the moon was shining
down into my dark home
and stand there at the edge
of my affection
and think, "It's beautiful
here by this pond. I wish
somebody loved me,"
I'd love you and be your catsh
friend and drive such lonely
thoughts from your mind
and suddenly you would be
at peace,
and ask yourself, "I wonder
if there are any catsh
in this pond? It seems like
a perfect place for them."
USE THE BOX BELOW TO WRITE
YOUR OWN FREE VERSE POEM
Name: ______________________
Period: _________________
Date: _________
Acrostic, Freeverse, and Concrete Poetry
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
Concrete Poems and Freeverse
____
1. Concrete poetry is...
a. poetry that tells a story
b.
____
c.
poetry dedicated to someone who
has died
d. poetry that takes on the shape of its
subject
poetry about nature
2. What is Free-Verse Poetry?
a. Poetry with no rhyme scheme
b. Long poetry about battles, gods, and
heroes
c. Poetry about love
d. Poetry written in iambic pentameter
Matching
Poetry Vocabulary Group 2
a. acrostic
b. concrete
c. free verse
d. couplet
e. lyric poem
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
ode
ballad
haiku
stanza
elegy
poetry that expresses personal thoughts and feelings
type of poetry written in an up and down line where one letter goes on each line
two rhyming lines of poetry
poetry that tells a story and is sometimes sung
poetry with no regular rhyme scheme or meter
a sad poem about the death of someone
type of poetry that takes the shape of the thing it describes
poetry that praises someone or something
a group of lines meant to be read as a unit
a poem that makes a reference to nature
1
ID: A