These worksheets are excerpts from the book Composing Magic by Elizabeth Barrette. They were created for use in workshops, classrooms, book clubs, and other group activities. Permission is granted to print copies of them for such use, as long as the credit is kept intact.
You Can Write an Acrostic Poem
The acrostic derives its nature from one rule. It works like a crossword puzzle, spelling a word or phrase with certain letters of its lines. This hidden message refers to the poem’s topic; many acrostics take their title from the vertical content. Most often, the first letter of each line spells something down the left-hand margin. Acrostic poems may have one or more words per line. They may rhyme, but usually don’t. They rarely have strong rhythm or meter.
The first step in writing an acrostic is to choose the word, phrase, or sentence you intend to spell along the margin. Write those letters (usually all capitalized) down the page. Next, think of some words starting with those letters. If you’re sure you want to use a specific word, attach it to the appropriate letter. Otherwise you can put a string of words on a line, all starting with the same letter, and later make up your mind. Finally, “connect the dots,” adding more words and phrases to complete the poem around the framework of chosen words.
“MABON” Your Acrostic Poem by Elizabeth Barrette
May we pause, in the year’s journey, And reflect on our progress: Births and deaths, joys and regrets. Our lives, like the year, like the Night and day, find balance.
You Can Write a Ballad
The ballad has four-line stanzas, or quatrains, where the second and fourth lines rhyme with each other: ABCB. A driving rhythm characterizes this form. This can be any regular rhythm, but is often the pattern called ballad meter, which alternates lines of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter. Line lengths are usually similar, but sometimes the rhyming and nonrhyming lines differ. Ballads may feature a refrain, a phrase or line which repeats throughout the poem, often framing the poem’s main idea.
To compose a ballad, first seek pairs of rhyming words. List aspects or attributes of your main topic; turn each into a verse or line. You can build a ballad around one great line (the refrain). If you don’t like ballad meter, your best line can set the meter. Important phrases may repeat: “Rise up, rise up!” Ballads often include dialog with two characters alternating verses or lines. Verses should flow in some logical progression: chronological, spatial, emphatic, cause-effect, problem-solution, etc. One way to outline a ballad is to describe an event in order, giving each twist of the story its own verse. The first verse introduces the main character, the second verse poses a problem, several verses detail attempts to solve it, and the last verse gives the final resolution.
“In the Season of the Leaves” Your Ballad by Elizabeth Barrette
In the season of the leaves And their turning gold and red We remember times of old And our own beloved dead
In the season of the leaves And their falling to the ground Shake the rattle, beat the drum And recall them with the sound
In the season of the leaves And their dancing in the wind Know that death is just a turn Of the journey, not an end
In the season of the leaves And their baring of the trees We may face our naked grief Wet cheeks cooling in the breeze
In the season of the leaves Ere they vanish under snow They may hint of hidden things That no mortal mind may know.
You Can Write a List Poem
The list poem names many examples (people, places, things, attributes, even abstract ideas) around a common theme. Each line may be a single word or a phrase, often with a brief, colorful description of the item listed. List poems based on phrases may begin each line with the same word. The poem often concludes with a surprise that casts the list in a new light, and the closing line(s) may differ in structure from the rest. A list poem usually appears in free verse, but it may rhyme. It has a strong rhythm, with or without a regular meter.
To write a list poem, first write down a bunch of words or phrases relating to your topic. Look for patterns, and rearrange the order of the lines to emphasize them. A poem about a place might be organized spatially, like a tour; a poem about an object might list its attributes from the most general to the most specific. Feel the words in your mouth and listen to their sounds as you say them. If they don’t flow right, substitute synonyms until you find something that works. A list poem needs especially good flow from one line to another.
“September Palette” Your List Poem by Elizabeth Barrette
amber carmine umber garnet mocha murrey cocoa honey orange roan ochre lemon saffron russet madder mustard all the colored leaves of autumn
