Outdoor Lessons: Writing Poetry at the Playground

By Nic Breedlove

Poetry is a powerful way of expressing feelings, ideas, and experiences using language in creative ways. From the simplicity of haiku to the freedom of free verse, poetry allows writers to play with words and meanings. Whether you're painting vivid pictures in the reader's mind, connecting ideas through comparisons, or playing with the repetition of sounds, understanding the basic concepts of poetry is essential to creating good poems. Understanding these terms will help you grasp the fundamentals and analyze poems with confidence.

Acrostic: A poem where the initial letters of each line, when read downward, form a word or phrase that connects to the poem's theme or topic

Alliteration: The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of two or more closely positioned words, such as "She sells seashells by the seashore"

Anaphora: A poetic device where a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive lines or sentences. This helps to emphasize a particular point or idea and can create rhythm.

Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words, such as in "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain." This creates a sense of harmony and flow in the poem.

Ballad: A narrative poem that tells a story, often about a dramatic or romantic event. Ballads are usually structured in four-line stanzas (quatrains) and may have a rhyme scheme.

Blank Verse: Poetry that has a regular rhythm, usually iambic pentameter, but does not rhyme. Shakespeare's plays often use blank verse.

Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of a poem to the next without a pause or punctuation. It allows the thought to flow smoothly across lines.

Free Verse: Poetry that lacks a set structure, rhyme pattern, or consistent rhythm. Free verse allows poets greater flexibility to explore different ways of crafting their poems.

Haiku: A traditional Japanese poetic form consisting of three lines with a specific syllable pattern. The first and third lines contain five syllables each, while the second line contains seven syllables. Haiku often focus on nature or a moment in time.

Iambic Pentameter: A type of poetic meter where each line contains ten syllables, following an alternating pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables. It creates a rhythmic flow often used in classical poetry.

Imagery: Descriptive language that appeals to the senses, allowing the reader to see, hear, taste, touch, or feel something in their imagination. Imagery helps to create vivid mental pictures.

Metaphor: A figure of speech in which one thing is described as if it were something else, without using "like" or "as." For example, "Her eyes were stars" means that her eyes are being compared to stars in a poetic way.

Meter: The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry, which creates its rhythm. Different meters give poems different musical qualities.

Narrative Poem: A poem that tells a story, complete with characters, plot, and setting. While all ballads are narrative poems, not all narrative poems are ballads.

Ode: A poem that celebrates or pays tribute to a person, event, or object. Odes often have a formal tone and express deep admiration or emotion.

Onomatopoeia: Words that mimic the sounds they describe, like "buzz" or "clang." Onomatopoeia makes the poem more vivid and engaging by appealing to the senses.

Personification: A figure of speech where non-human objects or animals are given human qualities or behaviors. For example, "The wind whispered through the trees" gives the wind a human action.

Quatrain: A four-line stanza or poem that often follows a specific rhyme scheme, such as ABAB or AABB. Quatrains are common in English poetry.

Repetition: The intentional reuse of a word, phrase, or line within a poem to emphasize a point or create rhythm. Repetition can add power and memorability to a poem.

Rhyme Scheme: The ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of lines in a poem. Rhyme schemes are typically described using letters (e.g., ABAB or AABB) to show which lines rhyme with each other.

Rhyming Couplet: Two consecutive lines of poetry that end with rhyming words. Rhyming couplets often sum up or conclude a thought in a poem.

Simile: A comparison between two different things using "like" or "as." For example, "Her smile was as bright as the sun" compares a smile to the brightness of the sun.

Sonnet: A poem of 14 lines, often written in iambic pentameter, with a specific rhyme scheme. Sonnets are typically about love, nature, or other profound themes and often have a twist or resolution at the end.

Stanza: A group of lines in a poem that are set apart from other groups of lines, much like paragraphs in prose. Stanzas help organize ideas and provide structure to a poem.

Syllable: A single unit of sound in a word. Syllables are important in poetry because poets often count them to create rhythm or to fit specific forms, such as haiku, which require 17 syllables.

Poetry Writing Lessons and Resources

• What Is Poetry?
• Elements of Poetry
• How to Make a Poem
• Types of Poetry: The Complete Guide With 28 Examples
• How to Write Poetry: 11 Rules for Poetry Writing Beginners
• What Is Poetry? Helping You Define Poetry for Yourself
• The Power of Poetry: A Beginner's Guide to Writing Poetry
• Glossary of Poetic Terms: 60 Definitions
• 11 Types of Poetry to Know, With Examples
• How to Start Writing Poetry
• Poetry From Ancient to Modern Times
• Historical Development of Poetry
• Nine Different Types of Poetry
• Four Types of Poetic Forms You Can Try
• What Is Poetry? Definition, Characteristics, and Types
• How to Write a Poem Step by Step: A Beginner's Guide
• Play Equipment for Growing Minds and Bodies
• Why Is Poetry Important?
• The Therapeutic Power of Poetry: What's the Evidence?
• Brief History of Poetry
• What Does the Future of Poetry Look Like?
• Reinventing Poetry