POET-POURRI!
Imitate a Poem!

 

 

 

 

 

Imitating the poetry of famous authors can be a great way to practice writing poetry.

In the novel, Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, a boy named Jack, who is the narrator of the story, imitates a famous poem by William Carlos Williams entitled "The Red Wheelbarrow."

Read "The Red Wheelbarow" by William Carlos Williams. Read this excerpt from Love That Dog and find Jack's imitation of the wheelbarrow poem.

As the reader will find out later, an important event occurred in Jack's life related to the blue car, and so Jack's imitation of the Williams' poem works well for style as well as content.

Your turn!
Your first writing task is to find a poem that you like by the poet of your choice, and to write an imitation of that poem. The poem should be at least 8-10 lines in length. If the original poem that you choose to imitate is longer than this, you may choose to imitate just a few stanzas instead. The poem you create should reflect your poet's style, including the following:

  • the form or type of poem, whether ballad, narrative, or lyric 
  • specific words and phrases that create sensory images
  • sound elements of poetry that contribute to meaning (i.e.
    rhyme, rhyme scheme, and
    rhythm
  • use of poetic devices such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, etc.
  • the use of figurative language (i.e., similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole)

Some imitations are done in a humorous way, and these are called parodies. Here is an example of a poem imitation that is a parody:

Original poem entitled "The Raven" by Edgar Alan Poe.

 Parody of "The Raven" entitled "The Reagan" by Frank Jacobs.

Parody of "The Raven" entitled "A School Day" by Penman.

Now find a poem by your chosen poet and create an imitation of it. Your imitation can be serious or humorous, but check with your teacher for his/her requirements. Use this checklist to help guide your final copy of your poetry imitation.

Poetry Imitation Checklist