Creative Writing
Poetry
Persona Poem
A structured 8-line poem, biographical in nature.
title
Name of author of poem
·first name/nickname of the person in the poem
·4 adjectives which describe the person
·X of Y formula, about an important relationship to the person
·3 things s/he loves
·3 things that scare her/him
·3 things s/he wants to see
·resident of...a place or time or concept
·last name of the person in the poem
Persona Poem
Edward
Cullen
By Edward Cullen
Edward
Immortal, lonely, loving, protective
Son of Carlisle
Vegetarianism, Bella, running through the forest
Volturri, Bella’s safety, Shapeshifters
Bella grow old, blush of Bella’s face, Esme’s Island
Resident of Forks, Washington
Cullen
Persona Poem
atniss Everdeen
By Katniss Everdeen
K
Katniss
Humble, resourceful, protective, hunter
Sister of Prim
Gale, her family, Peeta
The Games, The Capitol, President Snow
Home, her father, the woods
Resident of District 12
Everdeen
Up and Down Poems
Description for Up and Down Poems: Structured poems
using a word or phrase in a top-to-bottom ("up and down")
direction. Works well as follow up for a class event, activity,
topic or related reading.
Up and Down Poems
Horrible stuff,
cOmpletely disgusting, in fact!
Makes
mE
Want to
gO and find a
"Real job"...
Nah, I don't thinK so!!
Up and Down Poems
Directions …..
·Choose a word or phrase as the topic for the poem.
·Students then brainstorm related words
·Consider adjectives, adverbs, feeling words, power words, etc.
·Write the word DOWN the middle of the page
·one letter per line
·
·Fit words and phrases around the letters, using the brainstorm list to help. The
idea is that each letter from the key word becomes incorporated into the word
or phrase going across.
·
·Hint: Write the key word in all caps, big, or even in color, so letters stand out
and the key word can is easy to read.
Up and Down Poems
Why
Eat
In
Great
Heaping
Tons
abstract
r
pe sonal
t
crea ions
Stress Overload
something
that overpowers the mind
taking ove
r
imaginabl
deci
s
s
or
the body at the worst
e
time, forcing
ions to be made wrong,
ometimes to late.
Phone Poem
Topic/Title:
First digit of phone number
______
Second
______
Third
______
Fourth
______
Fifth
_____
Sixth
_____
Seventh
_____
Phone Poem
·Directions: Some poetry forms invite the writer to come up with a
specific number of syllables for each line of a poem. Use your
phone number to help you select which words you will include in the
seven lines of your instant poem by matching the number of
syllables with your phone number. Start by writing your phone
number vertically. Then use that number as your guide to precisely
how many syllables can go on that line of your poem.
“Guilty Pleasures”
5
5
5
1
2
1
2
I bite into the
peppermint patty.
The taste floods my mouth.
Not
guilty.
No
regrets.
“The Grinch”
6
7
5
1
1
5
5
I cannot believe it.
Holiday break comes fast now.
No decorations.
No
warmth.
The spirit is gone.
Claus should just fly by.
If (or What If) Poem
This form of poetry asks you to consider
possibilities.
Begin with the word If . . . or the words What If . . .
and let your imagination flow.
Write at least 30 lines.
Include a rhyme scheme if you’d like.
If (or What If) Poem
·If I were invisible, I’d explore every secret place on Earth.
·If I were blind, I’d spend more time listening.
·If I were rich, I’d buy something special for every person.
·What if time suddenly ceased to pass?
·What if the world’s leaders weren’t so arrogant?
·What if zoos displayed different types of people?
·What if I won the lottery?
Limerick
A humorous poem with 5 lines using the end rhyme
scheme... aabba.
Limerick Template B
I once met a ______________from _________.
Every day s/he _________________________.
But whenever s/he ______________________.
The _________________________________.
That strange ____________ from __________.
Limerick
“A Cold Woman”
By Paul McCann
There once was a woman of ice .
She never knew how to be nice .
She spent all of her life,
on the edge of a knife,
cutting herself off from advice.
Limerick
“Fashion”
Can't believe it’s true, must be a ruse.
It seems kids these days actually choose.
It's a very strange fad
to dress up just like Dad.
Bell-bottom pants and big clunky shoes.
Limerick
·Across the top of a blank sheet of paper, write 5-6 places you have
lived or visited.... neighborhoods, cities, states, countries, addresses
·Choose the 2 places that are easiest to rhyme Help each other
"brainstorm" rhyming words Write in columns underneath the place
names. This can be done using only the last syllable of the
name…Example:
·Beijing: bring, fling, king, Ming, opening, ring, sing, sling, sting,
thing ...
There was a young lady of Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger.
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside
And the smile on the face of the tiger.
When I was hunting for deer
I heard it with my own ear
So I looked around
But because of the sound
It ran off fast in fear
Limerick Template A
There was a young lady named Bright,
Who traveled much faster than light.
She started one day
In the relative way,
And returned on the previous night.
There once was a dog named Jack
He was kind of very fat
When I wanted to play
All he did was bark and lay
Until his owners came back his way
Limerick
Skinny
There was a young lady of Lynn
Who was so uncommonly thin
That when she essayed
To drink lemonade
She slipped through the straw and fell in.
Grandma Limerick
Grandma, with plastic on the recliner,
seems to be just getting blinder.
Though as mean as a witch,
she fell deep in a ditch.
And now no one can seem to find her.
A Boy Named Matt
There once was a boy named Matt
Who captured my heart like that
He was so kind
And such a find
I had to have him stat.
There once was a boy named Pete
Limerick
Who went on a diet of meat.
He missed his Life-Savers
And all their good flavors.
If only the meat had been sweet!
While dancing upon my toes
is when my happiness shows.
I twirl and I bound
to the classical sound
as I imagine my audience in rows.
Free Verse
This type of poetry is free of rhyme and regular rhythm (meter). It may
appear in several stanzas or in a single long one.
Be sure to include examples of figurative language, imagery, allusions,
metaphors or similes, and repetition.
Free verse poetry attempts to capture the normal rhythms of ordinary
speech.
Attempt to write at least 30 lines.
Choose a topic that interests you or one for which you hold strong
feelings.
I love your voice,
your soft brown hair.
I love your eyes
and love your stare.
I love your laugh,
your cocky smirk,
your stupid jokes.
You precious jerk,
you know I do.
I want my hands
all through your hair
each treasured strand.
I’m wrapped around
your finger still.
Am I yet yours?
Your love does kill
the things I hold
so close to me
and yet you’re the
best jerk I see.
“Jerk” by
Christina
Free Verse-How to start
·Choose your subject and write about it. Get it all out. Stay deep and true to the
rhythm of the poetic movement rolling through you, but get everything about the
subject down on paper.
·Check your rough poem to see if anything is missing. If you need to add a line, or
even a stanza, do so. If you want to include a metaphor, simile, or turn of phrase,
add it.
·Read the rough poem aloud. Check the sequence of lines and make sure that
one flows into the other.
·Move through your poem and make sure you’ve selected the words that give
proper accent and cadence to the overall poem.
·punctuate the poem like you 'd like it to read. Commas, periods, and semi-colons
for pauses.
·Read the poem aloud until it flows and you feel it inside. That’s a sure sign of a
well-completed piece of free verse.
“Winter Poem” by Nikki Giovanni
once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kissed
it and it was happy and called its cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me then
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower
Discrepancy
We existed
In turquoise sighs and cerulean whispers.
Your arms, snug and forgiving,
Sent azure pulsing down my spine.
In your room,
Navy shadows poured down the walls.
We were bathed in sapphire.
Our skin glowed ghostly in the pale moonlight,
And we expelled breaths tinted with teal.
We were sublime.
Blue was your favorite color, you always said.
It showed.
I could feel it in your bones.
Cobalt blood thrummed through your veins,
Sparks of indigo flickered in your eyes.
One day, you blurted out orange.
It tumbled from between your teeth
And forced the cyan from your walls.
In our sanctuary,
The tangerine words were profane.
All wrong.
Your mouth dripped mango,
Your heartbeat thudded orange,
And the look in your eyes
Was sharp with rust.
I saw the orange kisses on your cheeks,
The orange fingerprints on your collar.
The blue was gone.
You were blue.
Make Believe
We were doomed from the beginning,
Blinded from the start,
But nothing can be done
To fool a happy heart.
With each smile and giggle,
Every embrace and every kiss,
We were shooting toward a happy ending,
And we missed.
Cinderella lost her slipper
And it was never found.
Prince Charming came too late,
Now no one’s sleeping sound.
Pillows are soaking wet,
Hopes are all lost.
No more dancing in the clouds.
Dreams have all been tossed.
The fairy-tale warmth has left us
As winter’s setting in.
The storybook reads the end,
But where should we begin?
Now your heart strives to be broken,
And you long for lonely nights
This time our ship is sinking
We’re going down without a fight.
Football
Football is an awesome game, I love the adrenaline rush you get
from playing and the excitement from creating a big play and that
you can hit someone as hard as you can and get praised for it,
also you get to actually see the success from all the hard work you
put in to get better and everyone on the team realizes that its
bigger than themselves and they become a family as a result,
there is just no other feeling like making a huge hit on someone
and hearing the crowd roar.
Ode
An ode is an exalted lyric poem, aiming
at loftier thought, more dignified expression, and more intricate
formal structure than most lyrics. Another characteristic of odes is that they often addressed to
someone or something.
An ode is a long lyric poem, serious and dignified in subject, tone, and style,
often written to celebrate an
event, person, being or power--or to provide a vehicle for private meditation. Sometimes an ode may
have an elaborate stanzaic structure. Almost all odes are poems
of address, in which the poet uses apostrophe(
repetition of the initial word of thou -a poetic figure of speech in which inanimate object or absent person is
directly addressed).
Irregular odes: they have no
Horatian odes follow
set rhyme scheme and no set stanza (line grouping) pattern.
a regular stanza pattern and rhyme scheme
Definition: A long, lyric poem with a serious subject, tone, and style usually written in celebration of
something.
Brainstorm Ideas: Death of a loved one, slavery, holidays, graduations,
NOT to make fun of someone or the event taking place.
Ode to the Weary Math Student
Woe to the math student,
In an advanced class,
Who tries oh so hard,
And yet can’t seem to pass
The equations are evil,
The numbers, nonsense
And all the test grades
Contain dark suspense
Woe to the math student,
Doomed to the grave,
If surviving to the bell,
The soul may be saved,
But oh, when returned home
There awaits homework,
The student, in despair,
Calls the teacher a jerk
Woe to the math student,
A slave to the book
Odd answers are in back
Oh so tempting to look
Who studies for hours,
And stares at the page,
The body is paralyzed,
But inside, so much rage
Woe to the math student
Who will surely die
The numbers are deadly,
And no one knows why
The brain has shut down,
The body is weak,
And oh, what’s awaiting
In math class next week?
Ode to a Grandfather
Ode to the Bride
Ode to the bride
she is so kind.
Ode to the bride
Whose smile shines.
Leaving a path
Of peddles behind.
Walking calm
Down the aisle.
Ode to the bride
whose parents cry.
Giving their little
girl away.
Ode to his life
How he touched so
Many peoples lives
Ode to his memories
How he brought the
Best out of everyone
Ode to his talent
How he became a legend
On the hardwood
Ode to his hard work
How he never wasted
Anytime to get better
Ode to Mr. Anderson
He will never be forgotten
Ode to the Forgotten
Ode to Myself
Ode to the people who were forgotten
Just as Walt Whitman would say,
They were once loved and cared for
Ode to their lives
Everyday they hurt
While in desperation for love
and generosity.
Ode to their heart
That was torn apart viciously
With little consideration
Of their inner feelings
Ode to their memories
That bring back happiness
Or to the ones
That are very vague.
Ode to those who have tried
Those who haven't given up
The ones that will keep climbin'
For them life hasn't been easy.
if he were with me today.....
There is a "Song of Myself",
A song that sings of my internal wealth.
A child of God, and also
able to make a friend out of every foe.
For I have true love inside
Any egotisms have surely died.
The beautiful song that strives to be heard
this song is clearer than any songbird.
There is no reason to feel pity
for my God and his love is always with me.
And I will try to learn as much as I should,
knowing that there are no problems,
just oppurtunities to be good.
Ode to a Blizzard
O!
wonderful for weight and whiteness!
Ideolog whose absolutes
Are always proven right
By white and then
More white and white again,
Winning the same argument year
After year by making the opposition
Disappear!
O! dear miniature of infinity with no
End in sight and no snowFlake exactly like
Another, all
A little different no
Matter how many may fall,
Just like our own DNA or the human face
Eternal!
Ballad
Definition: Ballads are simple stories told in poetic form.
Sometimes a
lesson is told in the last poetic form. Sometimes a lesson is told in the last
phrase.
A ballad can have any number of stanzas, and it generally follows an abcb pattern.
Ballads are used as verses of songs.
Much country music is simply a ballad that is sung.
Ballads can have different rhyme pattern, but the one that is most common is abcb.
Brainstorm Ideas: Unattainable/forbidden love,
relationships,
remembrance of loved ones,
everyday life,
dreams/aspirations
The dream isn’t dead
Though I’ve seen it take flight
It spread its great wings
And disappeared into night
I watched it go, bidding good-bye
But I would see it again
I know I would try
Such fantastic illusion, an amazing sight
Sparkling amber, green, and gold
I kissed the wings and held on tight
But let go and watched them unfold
I knew it would be back
Like it would always be
For this dream, the beautiful bird
It is a part of me
It comes back now and then
When I give it a home
An open heart to love it with
And loyalty to be shown
I let it fly, let it go away
To whatever it searches for
But I know it’ll be back someday
Standing at my front door
I look ahead to the future
For I know it will be bright
Someday, I’ll not have to watch my dream
Disappear into night
It will sit beside me, holding my hand
Kiss my face, forever true
For my dream is only my dream
If my dream is you
The Dream Isn't Dead
by sgtpepperx3
Examples of Ballads
Gratitude
by Jarrett B.
Your white-capped summit is calling,
Waiting for those who will claim it first
There is nothing more for anyone’s wanting
Than to make your fresh powder bubbles burst
While on your peak gazing down
I will choose my trail with care
For on my head is a crown
That I will forever wear
I thank you, mighty peak
For it is you I will always seek
I AM LEGEND
STRONG AND ALMIGHTY
SO IMPORTANT, THEY'VE ASKED TO INDITE ME
I AM LEGEND.
MY HEAD IS HELD HIGH,
WITHOUT A REASON TO CRY
I AM LEGEND
BECAUSE ALL OF THE WORLD WOULD SIGH
I AM LEGEND.
by Sylebrtyeemom
NOT WILL SMITH AND HIS SON IN A MOVIE
I AM SOMEONE MOVING
THE MOST TALKED ABOUT...TRULY
I AM LEGEND.
NOT AN UNVERIFIABLE STORY,
NOT AN INSCRIPTION ON AN OBJECT. BUT A PERSON OF MASS GLORY
I AM LEGEND.
THE ONE WHOM YOU NEVER FORGET. THE ONE YOU CANT STOP REMEMBERING.
THE ONE YOU'RE JUST NOT HINDERING.
I AM LEGEND.
CHAMPION OF ALL BATTLES, FIGHTS AND WARS.
THE OPENER OF ALL CLOSED DOORS.
THE ONE BETTER THAN THOSE BEFORE.
THE ONE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.
I AM LEGEND.
THE ONE TO GET ALL IN YOUR HEAD.
THE PERSON YOU CANT STAND.
THE ONE ON YOUR MIND WHEN YOU GET OUT OF BED.
THE ONE YOU REMEMBER EVERY WORD SHE SAID.
I AM LEGEND.
THAT ICONIC IDOL AND ROLE MODEL, TOO.
THE ONE YOU "JUST HAVE TO" INTRODUCE YOUR MOTHER TO.
THE HIGHLY HONORABLE AND TRUE.
I AM LEGEND.
I DONT KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE SAID IT.
I DONT KNOW HOW MANY MORE TIMES I HAVE TO TIL YOU GET IT. AND IF YOU FORGOT JUST THAT QUICK. REMEMBER.
I AM LEGEND
Epitaph
Epitaph poetry is used to honor those who have passed away. This could be about
yourself or someone you know or read about.
·Write
down a list of qualities of the person honored or
discussed in the epitaph. Get detailed. Think of the things
that mattered most, but also look for unique qualities that the
person possessed.
·Create a detailed list of accomplishments. Look for ideas
from the person's friends, hobbies, livelihood and family
situation.
·Ask yourself what that person would want said about
herself to others in a crowd. How would s/he like to be
remembered? What was important to him/her?
·Look for a way to weave humor into the poem
Epitaph
·Jeanine Custis
·She failed her breathalizer test
·now she lays with the best
·Margaret Daniels
·She always said her feet were killing her
·but nobody believed her.
·Beneath this stone a lump of clay
·Lies Uncle Peter Dan'els
·Who early in the month of May
·Took off his winter flannels
Epitaph
·LESTER MOORE
·Here lies Lester Moore
·Four slugs from a .44
·No Les
No More.
Note: Lester Moore was a Wells, Fargo Co. station agent for Naco,
Arizona in the cowboy days of the 1880's. He's buried in the Boot Hill
Cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona
Epitaph
·ANN MANN Dec. 8, 1767
·Here lies Ann Mann,
·Who lived an old maid
·But died an old Mann.
·
·ANNA WALLACE
·The children of Israel wanted bread
·And the Lord sent them manna;
·Old clerk Wallace wanted a wife,
·And the devil sent him Anna.
Shaped Poems
The words should be formed into a shape or creatively
arranged.
Diamante Poems: Contain opposing concepts which meet in
the middle line, structured in a diamond shape
Diamante Poems
Line 1:
Line 2:
Line 3:
Line 4:
Line 5:
Line 6:
Line 7:
1 noun. The topic or theme of the poem (and the opposite of line 7).
2 adjectives. They describe the noun in line 1.
3 gerunds (verb + ing). They describe the noun in line 1.
4 nouns: two nouns related to line 1 and two nouns related to line 7.
3 gerunds (verb + ing). They describe the noun in line 7.
2 adjectives. They describe the noun in line 7.
1 noun. This is an antonym (opposite) for the noun in line 1.
Shaped Poems
“Seasons”
Winter
Snowy, cold
Skiing, Skating, Sledding
Mountains, Winds, Breeze, Ocean
Swimming, Surfing, Scuba diving
Sunny, hot
Summer
Shaped Poems
“CONSCIENCE”
DREAMS
SUBCONSCIOUS, IMAGINARY
SLEEPING, WISHING,THINKING
FANTASY, ACTUALITY, VISION, GENUINE
BEING, SEEING, KNOWING,
AUTHENTIC, FACTUAL
REALITY
“The Circle of Life”
Life
Wonderful, fortunate
Fantasizing, socializing, communicating
Horrible, beautiful, beginning, end
Gruesome, bad, terrible
Death
Shaped Poems
So
Shiny
and
Brilliant
. Could
be for
your
friends,
mother,
or
daught
er.
Makes
Shaped Poems
A
Small
Drop Of
Sadness
Pours Down
Your Cheek
As You Fight
Back The
Pain
Shaped
Poems
They are kneeling upright on a flowered
bed
He
has just caught her there
and holds her still
Her gown
has slipped down
off her
shoulder
He has an urgent hunger
His dark head
bends to hers
hungrily
And the woman the woman
turns her tangerine lips from his
one hand like the head of a dead
swan
draped down over
his heavy
neck
Also known as Michael Jordan’s game the game is
full of mistakes even the best player ever missed over
9,000 shots in his career It’s an intense, breath
taking, life changing game, that anyone can play but
not everyone can succeed in, it takes a lot of hard
work and time you’ve got to be willing to commit to
the game year round, if your whole team does that,
your team will not only succeed but become a family
in the process.
Sensory Poem
Describe a place, situation, or event using all 5 (6 for the women)
senses
Consider emotional connections to your topic
Free verse, blank verse, rhyme, metered, prose
·Taste
·Feel
·Sight
·Smell
·Hearing
Sensory Poem
·Decide on a place/situation/event that means something to you.
·List sensory words to it
·Focus on the place/situation/event itself
·Avoid using phrases such as "It is..." Avoid using linking verbs except as an exception.
·Avoid phrases such as “It sounds like,” or “tastes like,” or “feels like.” Use information without stating the
lazy statements.
6. Poem is to be at least six (5) lines long with multiple modifier for each sense.
7.
Revise as needed to have at least four (4) devices in poem
·Personification
·Similes
·Metaphors
·Allusions
·Alliteration
·End rhyme
·Internal Rhyme
·Hyperbole
·Onomatopoeia
·Symbol
Loneliness
Cold, coarse, clammy fingers
Creep their twisted way into the mind.
As loneliness' piercing scream
Echoes soundlessly into emptiness,
Its musty, decaying path
Leaves no room for coherent thought.
Anger
A red, ripping roar rages
Overwhelming all, blasting, blistering,
Leaving nothing but ashes.
Anger's freezing, burning breath
Brings bitterness and defeat.
No hope can exist in
Its acrid, arid hands.
Sensory Poem
Sensory Poem
Spring
Spring is green with bright yellow buds,
New shoots emerge from the dark brown earth,
The scent of rain mixes with blossoms in the air,
Birds chirp with newfound vibrato in the trees,
Succulent strawberries burst in my mouth,
All is fresh, warm, and beautiful in the world.
The Waterfall
As I listen to the trickling waterfall,
Only peaceful thoughts come to mind,
I lay on my back looking up so tall,
Only clouds and trees I can find,
Birds sing a soothing song,
Not a thought fills my head,
I have never been in such a relaxing mood in so long,
Life can be so stressful so I’d rather be in a meadow instead.
The Onion
The Crackling of the
Onion shells as they hit the bin.
The strong aroma of
Onions fill the air.
Burning my eyes until
I cry. How I hate
The juices that fly
Upon my lips.
consonance
Definition - Consonance is the repetition, at close intervals, of the final
consonants of accented
syllables or important words , especially at the ends of words, as in blank and think or strong and
string or Lady lounges lazily and Dark deep dread.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by
Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
Excerpt from Parts
by Tedd Arnold.
"I just don't know what's going on
Or why it has to be.
But every day it's something worse.
What's happening to me?
I think it was three days ago
I first became aware-That in my comb were caught a couple
Pieces of my hair.
I stared at them, amazed, and more
Than just a bit appalled
To think that I was only five
And starting to go bald!"
Beat! Beat! Drums! by Walt Whitman
BEAT! beat! drums!--Blow! bugles! blow!
Through the windows--through doors--burst like a ruthless force,
Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation;
Into the school where the scholar is studying;
Leave not the bridegroom quiet--no happiness must he have now with
his bride;
Nor the peaceful farmer any peace, plowing his field or gathering his
grain;
So fierce you whirr and pound, you drums--so shrill you bugles blow.
Alliteration- Most of the words at the beginning of the sentence begin with the same consonant
Dewdrops Dancing Down Daisies
Cipher Connected
By Paul McCann
By Paul Mc Cann
Don't delay dawns disarming display .
Dusk demands daylight .
Dewdrops dwell delicately
drawing dazzling delight .
Dewdrops dilute daisies domain.
Distinguished debutantes . Diamonds
defray delivered
daylights distilled daisy dance .
Careless cars cutting corners create
confusion.
Crossing center lines.
Countless collisions cost coffins.
Collect conscious change.
Copy?
Continue cautiously.
Comply?
Cool .
Sunday mass
Sophie snag songs softly,
Singing sweetly Sundays,
Silently at mass, saying
Thanks to god and saints,
Wishing a silent night,
With a sensitive whisper.
the repetition or a pattern of similar vowel sounds
Assonance:
, but with
different end consonants in a line or passage of verse or prose. but with different An assonance can be described
as a vowel rhyme as in the words date and fade.
Robert Louis Stevenson - The Feast of Famine
...From
folk that sat on the terrace and drew out the even long
Sudden crowings of laughter, monotonous drone of song;
The quiet passage of souls over his head in the trees;
And from all around the haven the crumbling thunder of seas.
"Farewell, my home," said Rua. "Farewell, O quiet seat!
To-morrow in all your valleys the drum of death shall beat."...
Edgar Allen Poe
El Dorado
Gaily bedight,
A gallant night
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of El Dorado.
But he grew old This knight so bold And - o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like El Dorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow "Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be This land of El Dorado?"
"Over the mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied "If you seek for El Dorado!"
Pastoral
A pastoral poem
Definition:
a poem viewed from an idealistic stand point of rural or rustic life, usually depicting the peace and serenity
of nature
Common topics of pastoral poetry include love and seduction; death and mourning; the corruption of the city or court vs. the "purity"
of idealized country life;
The Passionate Shepherd to His Love
by
Christopher Marlowe
Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
That valleys, groves, hills, and fields,
Woods or steepy mountain yields.
And we will sit upon the rocks,
Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow rivers to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.
And I will make thee beds of roses
And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle;
A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty lambs we pull;
Fair lined slippers for the cold,
With buckles of th purest gold;
A belt of straw and ivy buds,
With coral clasps and amber studs:
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me and be my love.
The shepherds' swains shall dance and sing
For thy delight each May morning:
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me and be my love.
maggie and milly and molly and may
by e. e. cummings
10
maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach(to play one day)
and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her
troubles,and
milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;
and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and
may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.
For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea
A Peck of Gold
by Robert Frost
Dust always blowing about the town,
Except when sea-fog laid it down,
And I was one of the children told
Some of the blowing dust was gold.
All the dust the wind blew high
Appeared like gold in the sunset sky,
But I was one of the children told
Some of the dust was really gold.
Such was life in the Golden Gate:
Gold dusted all we drank and ate,
And I was one of the children told,
'We all must eat our peck of gold'.
Horse
What are you thinking of
as I pass my fingers
through your manes coarse wool?
I take your cheek into my palm,
you root my coat for food,
ROSES
You love the roses - so do I. I wish
They sky would rain down roses, as they rain
From off the shaken bush. Why will it not?
Then all the valley would be pink and white
And soft to tread on. They would fall as light
As feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be
Like sleeping and like waking, all at once!
George Eliot 1819-1880
shiver a little. It is cold here,
in the bare fields, under blank cloud.
You wander between the stark wire
A Green Cornfield
bending to eat, running now
and then. I would do the same
removed from home and company,
taking the warmth of a strangers hands
The earth was green, the sky was blue:
I saw and heard one sunny morn
A skylark hang betweent he two,
A singing speck above the corn;
light and hesitant, like the rain.
A stage below, in gay accord,
White butterflies danced on the wing,
And still the singing skylark soared,
And silent sank and soared to sing.
Cliff Ashcroft
The cornfield stretched a tender green
To right and left beside my walks;
I knew he had a nest unseen
Somewhere among the million stalks.
And as I paused to hear his song
While swift the sunny moments slid,
Perhaps his mate sat listening long,
And listened longer than I did.
Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)