HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU STARTED WRITING POETRY?

Is it easier for children to write poetry than other forms of written expression?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brian Baruch on June 13, 2012 at 11:54am

It is an interesting question.
I would have thought it is. But, 2 weeks ago I was helping a 9 year old boy wrap his head around the idea that poetry is not designed to inform, as much a help another experience a particular emotional space.

Poetry is supposed to evoke an uncontrived emotional cadence of expression.

I find that poetry is most effective with children when it is unstructured and without rules.

Permalink Reply by Patricia A.Shannon/yeager(Patty) on June 13, 2012 at 10:07pm

I was about ten years old when I wrote my first poem. I remember it was a prayer. My teacher asked me if she could keep it as she was touched by it. Of course I said yes. How else would one respond to a teacher? I was thrilled. Unfortunately, there were no copy machines, way back then, (lol) only memeograph machines, so i never got a copy.

Permalink Reply by Von Thompson on June 14, 2012 at 10:18pm

I totally agree with your last statement. My son is in high school and last year in his general lit class they did a section on writing poetry. Every exercise he had to do with either fill in the blank or answer the generic question in a certain order to create a poem. It was incredibly frustrating for both of us.

Permalink Reply by Von Thompson on June 14, 2012 at 10:20pm

I was in junior high when I first wrote poetry. Previous to that, I hadn't been exposed to any poetry beyond what they taught to elementary school children in the early 70's. I recently found some of my high school poetry and it's definitely the work of a teen-aged girl. Oy. The drama. It was still fun to look at, though. Reminds me that I actually survived my teen years relatively intact.

Permalink Reply by Von Thompson on June 14, 2012 at 10:25pm

Oh, and I think children can write beautiful poetry if given the freedom. A poem is not a five paragraph essay, it's not something to construct out of pre-ordained phrases. It's an expression of experience and emotion meant to evoke more than inform. Children FEEL so openly and share those feelings so easily that if given the opportunity, I think they write more authentically than adults. We spend so much time playing with the words and we have so many more words to play with that we can lose sight of the emotion.

Permalink Reply by Patricia A.Shannon/yeager(Patty) on June 15, 2012 at 9:10am

Soooooo correct. Children just write and let it flow, and it's so beautiful. The innocence of a child is the most incredible gift. When I write poetry now, it's always inspired so I try not to make changes to it. I also let the words flow when I write short stories, even my novel, however I do go back and edit these.

Permalink Reply by Joe Frey on June 17, 2012 at 10:39pm

I read poetry and was so intrigued and inspired by it at six years old. I would copy the words from poems I liked onto lined paper and re-read it again and again in my own handwriting. I wrote my very first poem, comprised of my own words when I was in sixth grade for an English test "A Bit of Joy".

Permalink Reply by Marshall Barnes on June 19, 2012 at 7:23pm