Crafting the Perfect Poem: A Guide to Inspiration and Completion

Starting and finishing a poem can be a rewarding and creative journey. This guide will walk you through the essential steps of finding inspiration, choosing a form, writing a strong opening, and finally, a powerful conclusion. Let’s dive in!

Starting a Poem

Find Inspiration

The journey of poetic creation often begins with finding inspiration. Look around you, tap into your experiences, or delve into your emotions. Consider themes that resonate with you deeply. This could be nature, relationships, personal experiences, or abstract concepts. Inspiration can come from anything – a walk in the park, a book, a conversation, or even a piece of art. Listen to music that speaks to your soul or gaze at a painting that evokes strong emotions.

Choose a Form

Deciding on a form is crucial as it will influence the tone and rhythm of your poem. There are numerous poetic forms to choose from, such as free verse, sonnet, haiku, or even forms from other languages like tanka or ghazal. Each form has its unique structure and characteristics. For instance, a sonnet is structured and has a strict rhyme scheme, while haiku requires brevity and nature imagery.

Write a Strong Opening Line

A captivating opening line is essential to hook your readers immediately. Start with a vivid image, a question, or a thought-provoking statement. Your opening line should capture attention and set the tone for the rest of the poem. For example, “In the quiet of dawn, the world holds its breath…” or “My feet trace the same old path, a meditative thread in the tapestry of my life.”

Use Sensory Language

Incorporate imagery that appeals to the senses. Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell can help create a vivid experience for your readers. Describe the feel of the breeze on your skin, the scent of freshly brewed coffee, or the rhythmic beat of your footsteps. This sensory detail brings the poem to life and engages the reader on a deeper level.

Establish a Voice

Determine the speaker's voice and perspective. Is it personal, observational, or narrative? The voice of your poem should align with the style and tone you have established. For instance, you might choose a first-person narrative voice to make the poem more intimate, or a third-person voice to offer a broader, more objective perspective.

Finishing a Poem

Create a Resolution

Concluding a poem effectively brings closure to the journey you have taken with your readers. This could be through a revelation, a question, or an emotional climax. The resolution should tie together the themes and emotions you have explored throughout the poem. For example, “And in that stillness, I find my heart’s whisper.”

Use a Strong Closing Line

Your final line should be powerful and resonate with your readers. It could summarize the poem's theme or leave an evocative image that lingers in the reader's mind. A strong closing line can leave a lasting impression and make your poem memorable.

Edit for Clarity and Impact

Review your poem for clarity, rhythm, and word choice. Ensure every word serves a purpose and contributes to the overall impact of the poem. Pay attention to the flow of lines and the pacing of the poem.

Read Aloud

Reading your poem aloud can help you identify any awkward phrasing or areas that need improvement. This practice allows you to hear the rhythm and flow of your words, making it easier to refine the poem.

Seek Feedback

Share your poem with trusted friends or fellow writers for constructive criticism. Feedback can provide valuable insights and help you improve the poem. Be open to suggestions and willing to make revisions based on the feedback you receive.

A Personal Example: Capturing a Walk in Town

Say, I took a walk into town last night. I walked a couple of hours to a coffee shop, and somehow, the traffic, my steps, the old couches and discarded TVs of the people who come and go, who live along the street and how my feet seem to find something constant and meditative about the threads that run through what I saw and how I was feeling. Frequently, it is about this swelling of connectivity about who I am and the lives going on around me and the simple steps I am taking as I move along the path beside the road.

I might start the poem with a vague notion, a phrase, a thought, the smallest something. First thing in the morning, with tea or coffee, while Pandora sits brooding in the background perhaps Phillip Glass being sweet and sad or Billie Holiday being tragically sad. They help me find the poem hiding beneath the surface of my thoughts. The music helps me go below my thoughts to how I feel about my thoughts. I find it best to start writing from there with the laziest notion or phrase about what I want to write about.

For instance, I might start with, “In the quiet of dawn, the world holds its breath…” and then continue exploring the walk, the traffic, the old couches, and so on. I’d ramble on awhile about the moment and read and reread each line, asking myself how this makes me feel after I read it. Then, I’d push it along a little more, revising and pushing and deleting and rewriting and rewriting. This might go on for a morning or several mornings, sometimes weeks, and then I’d know just when to stop. Right after I feel one more word would be too much, the poem plants its feet and starts to walk.