Hello! Welcome to Poetry Tuesday: the day we dip (or dive) into the lovely world of poetry!
Interested in poetry?
Write a concrete (shape) poem in this activity for kids, adults, and everyone in-between.
A. Introduction to Concrete Poems
Concrete poems are a special kind of poetry in which the words themselves make a shape! It’s fun, it looks neat, and most importantly, it makes the poem come alive to the reader in a unique way.
Here’s an old example of a concrete poem. It was written by George Herbert, who lived from 1593 to 1633 in Europe. If you turn it sideways, it looks like two sets of Angel Wings!
Angel Wings
Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
Decaying more and more,
Till he became
Most poore:
With thee
O let me rise
As larks, harmoniously,
And sing this day thy victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me.
My tender age in sorrow did beginne
And still with sicknesses and shame.
Thou didst so punish sinne,
That I became
Most thinne.
With thee
Let me combine,
And feel thy victorie:
For, if I imp my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight in me.
At the top of the page is a poem that I wrote when I was putting together this activity. It was inspired by a recent mouse incident we had in our basement!
See how it looks like a mouse? Sometimes you have to turn the paper to read all the way around a concrete poem!
B. Writing a concrete poem
Your turn!
1. Pick a simple shape. You can pick your own shape or print out one of these templates:
ball
star
butterfly (advanced)
paw print (advanced)
2. Write a poem about your shape on a separate piece of paper. Even though my poem rhymed, yours absolutely doesn’t need to. Just write words to describe your shape.
3. Write your poem around the shape!
4. Would you like your concrete poem to be only words and no drawing marks? Here’s a mini-tutorial to help:
a. Trace your shape with a dark marker
b. Place a clean piece of white paper on top of your shape so the shape shows through
c. Write your poem on the white paper, using the shape underneath as a guide
Pleased with your poem? Snap a picture of it and share it in the comments or post it on my
Facebook page so we can all read and enjoy them!
Hungry for more? Check out this week’s…
Poem Study: Eletelephony by Laura Elizabeth Richards
Advanced Poetry Lesson: Sonnets, Week 2
