Step 1

Choose the Shel Silverstein poem we read in this course, or any other poem.

Step 2

Read and study the poem, making a list of poetic devices found in the poem.

Step 3

Then, write your own poem using the poetic devices from the original poem. For instance, if the poem contains alliteration, simile, and hyperbole, your new poem should include those devices. You can imitate the entire poem, rewriting the words, or you can write your own using the same devices.

 

Example:

Original Poem: “Rain” by Shel Silverstein

I opened my eyes

And looked up at the rain,

And it dripped in my head

And flowed into my brain,

And all that I hear as I lie in my bed

Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

 

I step very softly,

I walk very slow,

I can’t do a handstand–

I might overflow,

So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said–

I’m just not the same since there’s rain in my head

 

Recreated Poem by Mrs. Gardner

I stepped outside

And fell into the wind

And it knocked me sideways

And back onto my end,

And all I could do in this fantastic haze

Is be glad I plopped in the red, Georgia clays

 

I stood up all muddy,

I looked all around,

I became quite dizzy,

I fell back on the ground,

So in this windy, most turbulent of days,

I made a new friend, with the red, Georgia clays.

 

From Georgia Virual Learning

http://cms.gavirtualschool.org/Shared/Language%20Arts/10thLitComp/02_PoetryOne/index.html