In many poetic traditions, especially micro‑forms such as Haiku and Tanka — poems often appear without titles. But in most other forms, the title is a crucial part of the poem’s design. It is the reader’s first introduction, the opening gesture, and often the first clue to meaning.A title is not simply a label. It… Continue reading The Function of a Poem’s Title
Category: Poetry theory
Metaphor
Exploring Metaphor The brain is a tree. What is a metaphor? A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is described as another in order to reveal something they have in common.The word metaphor comes from the Greek idea of carrying or transferring something across. In writing, meaning is carried from one… Continue reading Metaphor
The Invisible Musician:Tuning the Mouth of a Poem.
The Invisible Musician: Tuning the Mouth of a Poem The Mouth as Instrument Imagine two poets standing before the same winter field. Both want to describe a freezing wind dragging itself across ice‑stiffened ground. One writes: The cold wind blew over the empty fields. The meaning is clear. The image is accurate. But the line… Continue reading The Invisible Musician:Tuning the Mouth of a Poem.
Poetry deserves precision: Hunting for the Right Words
How do you choose the words that go into your poetry? What are the right words? As the poet, you must ultimately be the judge. But the “right words” shouldn’t just be the first ones you toss onto the paper when you feel the sudden rush to write. The critic Samuel Taylor Coleridge famously noted… Continue reading Poetry deserves precision: Hunting for the Right Words
Changing Diction: How Word Choice Shifts a Poem’s Soul.
Changing Diction, Changing the Theme: How Word Choice Shifts a Poem’s Soul. In poetry, you can use the exact same scene, the exact same characters, and the exact same sequence of events to tell two completely different stories. How? By changing your diction—your specific choice of words.By shifting your word choices, you change the emotional… Continue reading Changing Diction: How Word Choice Shifts a Poem’s Soul.
The Bloodstream of Romantic Poetry: A guide to controlling imagery.
Images and imagery are the bloodstream of love poetry. They’re how emotion becomes sensory—how longing becomes something the reader can taste, touch, or see. When you control your images rather than letting them drift in randomly, you shape the reader’s emotional experience with precision. Below is a craft-focused guide to how imagery works in love… Continue reading The Bloodstream of Romantic Poetry: A guide to controlling imagery.
Using Synecdoche
Using Synecdoche in Life and Poetry. Synecdoche refers to the practice of using a part of something to stand in for the whole thing. Synecdoche examples in Idioms and Everyday Language. Synecdoche is used in many common idioms, and it has become ingrained in the way we use language in our day-to-day lives. The meaning… Continue reading Using Synecdoche
Titling Poetry
Does the title of a poem matter? Some poems are untitled especially many micro poem and specific genres such as Haiku and Tanka. But what is the function of a title in a poem? Title is usually the first introduction readers have to your poem. Therefore, if you are going to use one make it… Continue reading Titling Poetry
Try not to write Obscure, Abstract Poetry because it confuses readers
Abstractions in poetry can be a great concept, when used wisely and judiciously. When abstractions are overdone, the poem becomes a confusing mess for the reader that often defies navigation to a successful conclusion. When someone tells you that your poem is too abstract, they are very likely saying you have abstractions where there should… Continue reading Try not to write Obscure, Abstract Poetry because it confuses readers
Painting poetry with colour
Using colour to paint your poetry The psychology of colour is a fascinating area that explores how colours are linked to emotions, perceptions, and cultural expressions.Colours have a way of evoking emotions, memories, and associations. Metaphors and similes that involve colours add depth and vividness to our language.So adding colour to poetic comparison devices and… Continue reading Painting poetry with colour
