MORE LOVE for LIST POEMS!

List poems are an easy and successful way to get children feeling more comfortable with poetry. They are to be found in the poetry of many cultures and have been employed successfully by many contemporary poets.

Here are some ideas that will assist you to be even more successful with this widely used poetic form.

Poems are frequently full of surprises and a list poem requires the same. It needs to be more than a shopping list.

You need a variety of items and when considering what to include.

Be specific!

Use colorful names for people, animals and objects.

Use varied syntax (sentence structure)

Try leaving the title until the poem is completed

Be prepared to rearrange the items in your list to obtain the best possible effect.

A big list is more effective than a short one.

These poems need to be read with feeling and rhythm

If you like the idea of List poems, check out Douglas Florian. His work makes frequent use of the list poem structure and his illustrations are superb.

A flood of childhood memories were the spark for this list poem...

SCAREDY CAT MEMORIES

I used to be afraid of the dentist’s drill,

Creaky floorboards

And snakes at the end of my bed

Electricity

Knives and guns

Haircuts

Monsters lurking in the shadows

And dogs in the night

Nightmares

People with missing teeth

And big kids who harass you for being- little

Bee stings

Getting lost

Sharks

And drowning in quicksand

Snakes

Baldness

My Nana’s toilet

And roosters

But now I’m afraid of ignorance.

Alan j Wright

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