Reading Comprehension - Poetry Can Be Fun

That not so pleasant feeling tricks people into believing that poetry is not for them. However, that belief is based on a very narrow area of poetry. What most people do not realize is that the field of poetry is quite vast, you just need to take the time to delve into it a little deeper because there is sure to be styles of poetry that you will like. In fact, in many instances - poetry that you will love!

In prior grades you probably learned a few of the poetry styles such as rhyming (one of the most well-known forms of poetry), limericks, Tanka, epic, ballads, lyric, narrative, Haiku, free verse, alliteration and concrete. In this quiz we will expand upon other types and forms of poetry to add to the listing we already know.

Acrostic Poetry - Sometimes you will hear this type of poetry referred to as the “name poem.” Why? Because you take a name such as a girl’s name or boy’s name or last name or business name, etc. and list each letter vertically and then each letter of that name begins the letter of a sentence or phrase. Let’s do one here. The name we will use is “Tommy.”

T is for our ticklish little brother.

O is for ovations he receives.

M is for his macho little body.

M is for the marvelous way he sings, sings, sings!

Y is for the look he has so youthful. He is something special you’ll agree. And when you need some help to do your homework, all you have to do is call

TOMMY!

Alphabet Poetry - Sometimes you will hear this type of poetry referred to as the “ABC poetry.” In an alphabet poem, each line of the poem will begin with the letter of the alphabet in chronological order. Here’s an example:

Agirl went to the store to

Buy some flowers. She

Counted her money and saw she

Didn’t have enough. She wanted to cry but

Everything was better when the

Friendly cashier smiled and

Gave her the flowers for free!

Autobiographical Poetry - This type of poetry is sometimes referred to as a “bio poem” and it is something you write about yourself. It is generally a “fill-in-the-blank” poem that comes from a template. An example of an autobiographical poem is:

1. __________ (Your first name)

2. ________, _________, and _________(3 words that describe you)

3. Son or Daughter of _________________ (Your parents’ names)

4. Who loves _______, ________, and _______ (3 things you love)

5. Who feels ________ about ________ (1 emotion and 1 thing)

6. Who gives _______, ________, and _______ (3 objects you share)

7. Who fears _______, ________, and _______ (3 things you fear)

8. Who’d like to see _________ (1 place or person you’d like to see)

9. Who dreams of _________ (1 item or idea)

10. A student of ___________ (your school)

11. __________ (Your last name)

Green

Green is the color of ripe apples dangling from the trees.

Green is the feeling of gentle winds brushing your cheeks.

Green is the sweet taste of juicy grapes.

Green is the smell of wet grass after a rain shower.

Green is the sound of a frog family making plans for dinner.

Green is drifting off to sleep after a long day.

Green is life.

Epitaph Poetry - Sometimes this type of poem is considered to be morbid because it is a piece of written work for a deceased (dead) person. The epitaph is the telling about the life of the deceased person and that person’s achievements, their personality and just about anything that has to do with the departed person. Many times after an epitaph is read, those people who never knew that person walk away feeling as though they did know them and for those who did know them, it helps to lighten up the sad mood of the person’s passing. Here is an example of an epitaph.

Reverend King

Had a dream

He marched for love

He spoke for unity

He stood for freedom

He believed in his community

After a bullet laid him to rest

His dream continues to live on

Reverend King started a battle

That finally was won.

See, poems can be fun - you just need to find what you like best!