Poetic Potpourri

Hello. My name is Balladeer, a newbie on the site. I was invited in by John Wordslinger, who had seen some of my lessons on the internet and asked me to share some thoughts here. This is a poem I wrote a long time ago to introduce students to different forms of phraseology used in poetry. Read it, if you will,and ask any questions about any of the different poetic tools used to create good poetry. There will be lessons on all of them in the future, if there is interest. Thank you for the hospitality.



If writing worthwhile poetry is something that you choose
There are some greattechniques around that all great poets use.
Let's take a little look at how the masters set the tone
And maybe we can get some hints to help us with our own.

Enjambment is a way to break the boredom of the text
By running one line into the beginning of the next.
The reader is encouraged to continue on because
The poem makes more sense when one continues without pause.

I have to say I love the way
The sky looks in the month of May

I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.


A caesura is a pause placed in the middle of a line.
Combined with an enjambment, the results can be divine.
The poet takes control of where the reader stops to rest
And it can help the power of the words to do their best.

Ah, balmy breath, that dost almost persuade
Justice to break her sword!One more, one more.
Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee,
And love thee after..................Othello


When words rhyme single syllables, it's labeled Masculine
horse - course
When words rhyme double syllables, it's labeled Feminine
crossing - embossing
Triple rhymes are tough but they can give your poem panache.
Lord Byron was a master and now we have Ogden Nash!

A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week,
But I�m damned if I see how the helican.


Alliteration is a way to have a little fun.
The same sound starts most of the words until the line is done.
It gives a rapid-fire effect that makes it very strong
And rappers like to use this form when they create a song.

Suzie sells seashells by the seashore.

Peter picked a peck of pickled peppers.


Onomatopoeia - now here's a clever way
To make your words create the sounds you're trying to display.

The murmer of innumeral bees...........Tennyson

Say it slow and you can hear the humming of the bees.
Lines like this add audio to words the reader sees.


A zeugma? Not an animal that one finds in the zoo.
It's just a verb with more than just one meaning - it has two!
It uses different objects to describe two different things
And, when you use it craftily, it makes your poem sing!

"Whenever I shop at the Bijou, I get a bottle of perfume and a headache."
"I'm not getting nasty; I'm getting chapped lips."


Chiasmus uses two words twice together in a line
A-B-B-A is how to use correctly this design.
It adds a touch of music to the way the lines are read
And repetition helps to keep the words there in one's head.

Whenever I stop to shop, I generally shop until I stop.

Not that fair field
Of Enna, where Proserpin gathering flowers
Herself a fairer flower by gloomy Dis
Was gathered. ...........................Milton's Paradise Lost


The apostrophe - I don't mean the mark of punctuation
In poetic terms this word provides a different connotation.
It's talking to the dead or something that cannot talk back
A quality I'll verify my ex- wife didn't lack!!

Good Lord in Heaven!

Death, be not proud................ - John Donne


Synecdocheis when part is used to represent the whole.
"Give me a hand" does not mean that just your hand is my goal.
It's just a way of saying things to make your meaning clear
When you stand up before a crowd and say, "Lend me an ear."

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them.................Ozymandius (Shelley)


The simile compares two things by using "like" or "as"
One of the greatest weapons that a clever poet has.
It helps describe an object in a multitude of ways
And, like the metaphor, it adds pure brilliance to a phrase.

The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold...... - Lord Byron


The metaphor Now here's the thing that makes it all worthwhile,
Producing worthwhile imagery to make one cry or smile.
It is the heart of everything a poet can produce
And it denotes the talent of the poet by its use.

We have four kinds of metaphors that we can always use.
You need to pick the one that suits you better when you choose.
The first kind names the subject and the object in the line
Julie was a gem is one of these that works out fine.

The next kind names the subject but the object is implied.
The way you use description in a smart way is your guide.
Mary's chirping away compares poorMary to a bird
And one can see that vision though you never used the word!

The third kind names the object but the subject isn't here.
Description of the object makes the subject now appear.
It falls in teardrops from the sky would make a nice refrain
And, though it isn't named, the reader knows the subject's rain.

The last kind is a tough one...only masters use it well.
No subject used - no object used there, either. What the hell!?!?
We use a double metaphor to make both meanings clear
And, if we do it wisely, our true meaning will appear.

Here it comes chugging into its sty

Into its sty? Must be a pig the author writes about.
And chugging? Like a slow train it moves toward the sty, no doubt.
So there you have the pig and train, though neither word was used.
If you don't use it well, you'll find the reader is confused.

It sifts from leaden sieves.............Emily Dickenson

So there you have some ways that many poets ply their trade.
For every great work written there were prices to be paid.
For those who want to be the very best that they can be
It's good to know the basics in this world of poetry.

RE: Poetic Potpourri

Thank you for posting this thread! Not only is it educational and informative (great reference material) it's fun to read. The "school of poetry" forum is awesome with great teachers on this site. I look forward to participating in your class!

RE: Poetic Potpourri

easy on the ears and a wealth of information, indeed ... gardening is keeping me out of formal poetry school this moment, but i appreciate your work here and am definitely reading, though i'm not posting much on these threads ... thx for the share!

-dancinghawk-

RE: Poetic Potpourri

Aria, yes, I have read some of the lessons here and the teachers are indeed knowledgeable and very informative. It will be a pleasure to join in.

dancinghawk....gardening is important, too! Join in whenever you like and thanks for reading.

RE: Poetic Potpourri

Oh well, I guess I might as well join in too. There is something about
you Michael, that makes one want to better themselves -- in poetry, that is.
I will be on the side, most of the time, reading what you post, and when I
get the urge...I will jump in.
...................................gogant

RE: Poetic Potpourri

..and you will be welcome whenever you do, good sir!

Poetic Potpourri~Smells like School Spirit

Thank you Michael for coming to contribute the skills you have.
I am sure you will enjoy the poets, and the site. thank you.

My fellow citizen Poets, I have seen what Michael has done,
you are in for creating sweet poetry, we are fortunate, to have
Balladeer, Kabbalistic, CousinOren, RHPeat, NevillePark, and ThoughtCaster.

I have another teacher, I am working with, she, yes she, is a master, and getting
published small, better than nothing at all, so wish me luck, for her to teach us.

John E WordSlinger

Last edited by WordSlinger 04-19-2010 at 07:42:08 PM

RE: Poetic Potpourri

I'm ready to learn as well, brother B! I will be checking your sites. Please feel free to visit and correct mine!

Last edited by kabbalistic 04-21-2010 at 03:10:50 PM

RE: Poetic Potpourri

A pleasure to meet you, kabbalistic. I've seen a few of your threads and they are very informative. It's good of you to share your expertise with others.