Introduction to Poetry

When some of you see the word "poetry," you might want to jump out of your chair and do a victory dance. For others, you're probably trying to keep your cafeteria pizza sticks from bubbling out the way they came in.

If you fall in with that second group, I want to let you in on a secret: poetry is nothing more than words put together in an interesting way. These words don't have to be about roses, they don't have to be about the meaning of life, and they certainly don't have to be about your one true love. A poem can be about anything.

Watermelons
by Charles Simic

Green Buddhas
On the fruit stand.
We eat the smile
And spit out the teeth.

From Return to a Place Lit By a Glass of Milk, 1974.

For fun, here is how several high school students reacted to this poem:

 

With this quirky (and remarkably short!) poem in mind, write two topic ideas for a poem. Your topics should be personal and important to you, meaning that you have some experience or knowledge about the topics. Submit your two topic ideas in the "Comments" section below by Monday, Jan. 27. 

Green Buddhas On the fruit stand. We eat the smile And spit out the teeth. - See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15260#sthash.XWhebZAf.dpuf

Green Buddhas On the fruit stand. We eat the smile And spit out the teeth. - See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15260#sthash.XWhebZAf.dpuf

Green Buddhas On the fruit stand. We eat the smile And spit out the teeth. - See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15260#sthash.XWhebZAf.dpuf

Here is another example of what poetry can be – the song is "Good Fashion" by Sage Francis.

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