If you want to learn how to write a poem, consider taking Poetry Lessons.
Whether you are an intuitive writer or a writer that needs some concrete help and direction, there are a few steps or pointers that can be of tremendous help.
Read.
Read all the various forms of poetry -- ballads, limericks, haiku, sonnets, quatrains, couplets, free verse and more.
Read once for pleasure and impression.
Read through a second time with a more clinical eye.
Watch for simile, metaphor, alliteration and onomatopoeia.
Look for hyperbole and personification.
Observe how the poet puts these devices to work in his or her poem.
Write.
Write without pressure.
To this end, most poets and writers employ a journal.
In my opinion, the cheaper the journal, the better.
A big, thick inexpensive notebook invites creativity.
Yes, you are committing words to the page, but there are so many pages that there is room to romp and experiment.
If it's hard to get started on this poetry lesson, write 'about' the poem, rather than actually writing the poem itself.
Before you know it, a few words or phrases will come to mind, and you can capture them on the page.
And off you go.
Rewrite.
There are two school of thought on rewrites.
Some writers love them -- and many do not.
I'm an active fan of the rewrite club.
To me, rewriting is an important part of learning how to write a poem.
It is so much fun to take a raw poem, look at it with fresh eyes, and then put it into shape.
Put in a word, take out a word.
Smooth and shape.
Make as close to perfect as possible, keeping in mind that only God achieves perfection!