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Jack Prelutsky

• Homework! Oh, Homework!

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Homework! Oh, Homework!

 By Jack Prelutsky

Homework! Oh, Homework! I hate you! You stink! I wish I could wash you away in the sink, if only a bomb would explode you to bits. Homework! Oh, homework! You’re giving me fits. I’d rather take baths with a man-eating shark, or wrestle a lion alone in the dark, eat spinach and liver, pet ten porcupines, than tackle the homework, my teacher assigns. Homework! Oh, homework! You’re last on my list, I simply can’t see why you even exist, if you just disappeared it would tickle me pink. Homework! Oh, homework! I hate you! You stink!

 Summary of Homework! Oh, Homework!

• Popularity of “Homework! Oh, Homework!”: The poem ‘Homework! Oh, Homework!’ was written by Jack Prelutsky, a well-known children’s poet. Its first publication dates back to 1999, and it is acclaimed for its exceptional composition that underscores the triviality of homework. The poem speaks about how mad homework can make students. The funny tone of the poem illustrates the speaker ’s disgust, hatred, and revulsion for homework. The poem gained immense popularity on account of its universal appeal. The exasperated yet humorous mood added further to its rhythm and melody.
• “Homework! Oh, Homework!” As a Representative of Hatred : This poem is written from a child’s perspective who expresses his feelings related to homework. It begins when the speaker shows extreme hatred for homework and wishes to wash it away in the sink or to explode it into pieces. He dislikes homework so much that in the poem, he’d prefer to take a bath with a man-eating shark or wrestle a lion in the dark instead.. He further informs his readers that homework is the last on his list. He would rather be happy if it gets disappeared from his to-do list.
• Major Themes in “Homework! Oh, Homework!” Hatred, student life, and homework revulsion are the major themes of the poem. The poem centers on the feelings of a student who has gone mad because of the study workload. Knowing it is a compulsion and the demand of his education, he desires to get rid of it. He hates homework so much that he would instead perform some insane and crazy actions rather than doing his homework. It is through this funny poetic piece, the poet sheds light on the problems students face during their student life.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Homework! Oh, Homework!

literary devices allow the writers to bring variety and color to their simple poetic pieces. Jack Prelutsky also made this poem worth read with the excessive use of these devices. The analysis used in this poem is analyzed below.

• Assonance : Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /o/ in “Homework! Oh, homework” and the sound of /oo/ in “would explode you to bits.”
• Alliteration : Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /h/ in “Homework! Oh, homework” and /p/ sound in “pet ten porcupines.”
• Apostrophe : An apostrophe is a device used to call somebody or something from afar. Here, the poet has used apostrophe to call homework a disgusting thing such as,

“Homework! Oh, Homework! I hate you! You stink.”

• Consonance : Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /k/ in “than tackle the homework,” and the sound of /sh/ in “I wish I could wash you away in the sink.”
• Enjambment : It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break ; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,

“I simply can’t see why you even exist, if you just disappeared it would tickle me pink.”

• Hyperbole : Hyperbole is a device used to exaggerate any statement for the sake of emphasis. The writer used this device by comparing the homework more difficult even than wrestling with a lion or man eating shark.
• Irony : Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning differs from the actual meaning. The writer has used this device in the opening stanza of the poem while talking about the self-recognition, such as,

“ Homework! Oh, Homework! I hate you! You stink.”

• Imagery : Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “You’re last on my list”, “I wish I could wash you away in the sink” and “eat spinach and liver.”
• Metaphor : It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use of extended metaphors of homework, comparing it with several things that he hates the most in life.
• Personification : The poem shows the use of personification as the poet has personified homework, showing it having life and emotions of its own.
• Symbolism : Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of “stink” and “giving me fits” as signs of anger and hatred.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Homework! Oh, Homework!

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

• Diction : The poem shows descriptive diction having metaphors, symbols, and hyperbole.
• Rhyme Scheme : The poem follows an ABCD rhyme scheme , and this pattern continues until the end.
• Repetition : There is a repetition of the verses “Homework! Oh, homework! /I hate you! You stink!” which have created a musical quality in the poem.
• Refrain : The lines occurring repeatedly at some distance in a poem are called a refrain . The verses, “Homework! Oh, homework! /I hate you! You stink!” are, therefore, a refrain.
• Stanza : A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are three stanzas in this poem, with each comprising a different number of verses.

Quotes to be Used

These lines are useful while talking about the things that one does not want to do intentionally.

“ You’re last on my list, I simply can’t see why you even exist, if you just disappeared it would tickle me pink.”

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Homework! Oh, Homework! I hate you! You stink! I wish I could wash you away in the sink, if only a bomb would explode you to bits. Homework! Oh, homework! You’re giving me fits.

I’d rather take baths with a man-eating shark, or wrestle a lion alone in the dark, eat spinach and liver, pet ten porcupines, than tackle the homework, my teacher assigns.

Homework! Oh, homework! you’re last on my list, I simple can’t see why you even exist, if you just disappeared it would tickle me pink. Homework! Oh, homework! I hate you! You stink!

Homework! Oh, Homework! by Jack Prelutsky: poem analysis

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Homework! Oh, Homework!

Post by: OZoFe.Com Poet: Jack Prelutsky 2 Comments

Homework! Oh, Homework! I hate you! You stink! I wish I could wash you away in the sink, if only a bomb would explode you to bits. Homework! Oh, homework! You’re giving me fits.

I’d rather take baths with a man-eating shark, or wrestle a lion alone in the dark, eat spinach and liver, pet ten porcupines, than tackle the homework, my teacher assigns.

Homework! Oh, homework! you’re last on my list, I simple can’t see why you even exist, if you just disappeared it would tickle me pink. Homework! Oh, homework! I hate you! You stink!

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• Homework, Oh Homework!

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by Jack Prelutsky

Homework! Oh, Homework! I hate you! You stink! I wish I could wash you away in the sink, if only a bomb would explode you to bits. Homework! Oh, homework! You’re giving me fits.

I’d rather take baths with a man-eating shark, or wrestle a lion alone in the dark, eat spinach and liver, pet ten porcupines, than tackle the homework my teacher assigns.

Homework! Oh, homework! You’re last on my list, I simply can’t see why you even exist, if you just disappeared it would tickle me pink. Homework! Oh, homework! I hate you! You stink!

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Prelutsky's 'Carnival Of Animals' Poems Meet Music

Jack Prelutsky, a well-known children's poet and editor of kids poetry collections, has written poems based on Camille Saint-Saens's "The Carnival of Animals." He will read the poems when the National Symphony Orchestra performs the music at the Kennedy Center on Sunday.

Copyright © 2012 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

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Homework, Oh Homework...

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And then there’s homework.

Our son came home yesterday with a class newsletter. It was titled “What are we learning?” and outlined what was happening in the areas of Reading/Science, Writing & Grammar, Math, and a category called “Fundations,” which is some kind of word-learning curriculum (actually, it’s “ a phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling program for the general education classroom ,” for those of you keeping score at home). There’s a lot going on in that first grade classroom.

There was also another section, too: Homework. Here’s what it said:

Please check your child's binder each night for homework assignments. Make sure your child is reading their bag book and that you sign the yellow record sheet when they are assigned homework. It is also important to continue with retelling the events or details of the books with your child to help them with their comprehension skills. As the school year is progressing, there may be homework assigned on Fridays now as well. Please make sure to check your child's backpack for assignments over the weekend.

Okay, yep—read with him, sign the sheet (Must. Have. Accountability.), get him to “retell” the story as a comprehension check. Wait—hold on a second. Did I read that last part right? “As the school year is progressing, there may be homework assigned on Fridays now as well.” Oh no.

My dad started his career as a high school English teacher, then later became an elementary school librarian—it was better suited to his temperament and taste, and didn’t require him to deal with things like giving grades. Because he was an elementary school librarian we always had library books around. He was especially fond then (and is now) of poetry. Our favorite verses were the classics, like “Great Green Gobs of Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts,” but we also read a lot of Shel Silvertstein and Jack Prelutsky. Prelutsky wrote one of my favorites. It was published in The New Kid on the Block in 1984 and is well worth quoting in full:

Homework! Oh, Homework! I hate you! You stink! I wish I could wash you away in the sink, if only a bomb would explode you to bits. Homework! Oh, homework! You're giving me fits. I'd rather take baths with a man-eating shark, or wrestle a lion alone in the dark, eat spinach and liver, pet ten porcupines, than tackle the homework, my teacher assigns. Homework! Oh, homework! you're last on my list, I simple can't see why you even exist, if you just disappeared it would tickle me pink. Homework! Oh, homework! I hate you! You stink!

Who doesn’t identify with this? Homework is the worst. Homework is the thing that makes kids who used to like school start to hate it. It’s the thing that makes school most like work. Notice we call it home- work , not home- school .

And I guess for that reason it serves its purpose: later in life, after we’ve all had our fill of mindless homework meant to force us to bring school home with us, we’re perfectly cool with the idea that work ought to follow us home too. But nobody really wants to bring work home, and when homework is involved no one really wants to bring school home either. Even the kids who like school don’t like homework. Why can’t school just stay in school?

Whatever the reasons are for doing it, there are serious consequences to sending work home with kids. The trouble with homework is that it’s done at home, and we should all know by now that that since not all homes are created equal that means some kids are going to have a distinct advantage over others where completing homework is concerned. Does my son benefit from the fact that I can actually comprehend “Everyday Math” as he tries to work through his worksheets? You bet he does. Does my daughter benefit from the fact that my wife read Jacqueline Woodson’s book Brown Girl Dreaming with her when she was trying to put together a book project, making it possible for our daughter to actually discuss what she read with somebody? Yes. Do they both benefit from the fact that they have parents who speak the same language at home that is spoken at school, and do they benefit from the fact that neither of their parents have to work nights to make ends meet? Yes. Yes, they do. They definitely do.

To be clear, I don’t blame teachers for this—a lot of the work that gets sent home is sent home because teachers feel overwhelming pressure to cover more material than they can possibly cover during the regular school day as they balance all the responsibilities that have been placed on them. You often hear teachers say that they rely on parents to be active in their kids’ educations; this can mean a lot of things, but I often interpret such requests as a cry for help. Teachers might as well be saying “Please, just help me keep my job—make sure your kid does his homework,” given the way we approach teacher evaluation these days.

I also don’t blame parents. Teachers often sit in conferences with parents dolefully asking them to help their kids do their homework as parents shrug and think “I don’t even know what shifts I’m working this week,” or “I have no idea how to help my kid do homework that neither of us understand.” It’s one thing to expect teachers to be experts in child psychology, data analysis, multiple academic disciplines, and differentiated instruction; it’s another to ask that of every parent. For young kids, especially, parents have to have a clear understanding of the goals and purposes of the curriculum for homework to be meaningful. How many parents have that these days? If we’re going to be giving homework, we ought to make sure we have that base covered first.

We’d be better off simplifying things, and recalibrating our expectations. It’s actually heartbreaking to see a first grader beat himself up over the fact that he forgot to do his homework before falling asleep the night before. It’s also disheartening to see a kid that young spend valuable time poring over worksheets when, for example, he could be doing something outside. Is there a place for homework for older students? Maybe. But it should be given judiciously and should be used to help students hone and develop new skills, not simply practice old ones. We might ask ourselves if it wouldn’t make more sense to think about how we could work smarter, not harder. It’s important to work hard, but more important to save the hard work for when it’s really necessary. Which, where school is concerned, should not be on weekends. Is nothing sacred?

The opinions expressed in The K-12 Contrarian are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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• Dr. Elizabeth Murphy- Hughes
• Dec 14, 2022

Rethinking: “Homework! Oh, Homework!”

Updated: Dec 15, 2022

“Homework! Oh, Homework! I hate you, you stink

These are the first two lines of my favorite poem , “Homework! Oh, Homework!” by Jack Prelutsky , I can still recite the entire poem from memory. My relationship with homework has changed over the years. As a child I would rather be playing than doing homework. As a teacher, homework was often an extension of the day’s lesson. Now, as a researcher, I see the benefits and limitations of research situated in what research tells us about homework. Rather than asking if homework is “good” or “bad”, the better question may be, “How can homework be improved to be doable and effective?” In this blog, I ask you to suspend your current perceptions of homework and consider the following:

Students’ perception of homework matters.

Research suggests that students’ perceptions of homework quality is important. Essentially, students who believe that their teachers carefully select and prepare appropriate practice that reinforces classroom learning” value homework. This is important because homework behaviors are likely related to achievement. I recommend teachers talk to students about the purpose of homework in ways that are personal and authentic.

Homework can be used to support maintenance and retention.

Homework provides opportunities for distributed practice aimed to support maintenance and retention. In order for this to be effective, homework should be individualized and connect to classroom learning by having students practice skills that they can do independently . As Kathy Ruhl and Charlie Hughes share, “ The best use of homework is to build proficiency in recently acquired skills or to maintain skills previously mastered .”

Students should be able to do homework successfully and independently.

Homework is more efficient when it reviews material from previous lessons (think past few weeks) than when it requires students to solve problems from that day’s lesson. Novice learners are more likely to make mistakes, practice, and reinforce these mistakes if they do not receive immediate feedback. When students practice errors, teacher may have to spend more time reteaching misunderstood concepts and misapplied skills.

Homework can be a valuable learning tool when purposefully planned. In addition to the suggestions above (e.g., discuss the purpose for homework with students, individualize, support maintenance and retention by providing homework on previously learned skills, be sure students can do homework independently), I recommend teachers use self-correcting materials, (e.g., cover-copy-compare ) , work on developing fact fluency (e.g., taped problems ), have students work with solved problems (e.g., interleaved solved-solutions ). And most importantly, continue to evaluate if your current homework system is meeting your purpose and the needs of your students within an MTSS system.

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What is the hyperbole on homewrok oh homewrok this dose not help this is just the story please hel[

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Jack Prelutsky

Jack Prelutsky Poems

Last night I dreamed of chickens, there were chickens everywhere, they were standing on my stomach, they were nesting in my hair, ...

Be glad your nose is on your face, not pasted on some other place, for if it were where it is not, you might dislike your nose a lot. ...

As soon as Fred gets out of bed, his underwear goes on his head. His mother laughs, 'Don't put it there, a head's no place for underwear! ' ...

it came today to visit and moved into the house it was smaller than an elephant but larger than a mouse ...

I am Ebenezer Bleezer, I run BLEEZER'S ICE CREAM STORE, there are flavors in my freezer you have never seen before, ...

'My stomach's full of butterflies! ' lamented Dora Diller. Her mother sighed. 'That's no surprise, you ate a caterpillar! ' ...

I am Super Samson Simpson, I'm superlatively strong, I like to carry elephants, I do it all day long, ...

Homework! Oh, Homework! I hate you! You stink! I wish I could wash you away in the sink, if only a bomb ...

Deep in our refrigerator, there's a special place ...

Herbert Glerbett, rather round, swallowed sherbet by the pound, ...

I met a dragon face to face the year when I was ten, I took a trip to outer space, ...

I'm making a pizza the size of the sun, a pizza that's sure to weigh more than a ton, a pizza too massive to pick up and toss, a pizza resplendent with oceans of sauce. ...

Pumberly Pott's unpredictable niece declared with her usual zeal that she would devour, by piece after piece, her uncle's new automobile. ...

A wolf is at the Laundromat, it's not a wary stare-wolf, ...

I was hungry on Thanksgiving But I couldn't eat a thing I couldn't eat a drumstick ...

Suzanna socked me Sunday, she socked me Monday, too, she also socked me Tuesday, ...

Jack Prelutsky Biography

Jack Prelutsky is an American poet and children's author, born on September 8, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York. He is known for his humorous and whimsical poetry for children, which has earned him numerous awards and accolades. Prelutsky began writing poetry in his teens and went on to study philosophy at Hunter College in New York City. After college, he worked a variety of jobs, including cab driver, furniture mover, and folk singer before turning to writing full-time. In 1976, Prelutsky published his first book of poetry for children, "A Gopher in the Garden and Other Animal Poems," which was followed by many more books over the years. Some of his most popular titles include "The New Kid on the Block," "Something Big Has Been Here," and "The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders." Prelutsky's poetry is known for its accessibility, humor, and child-friendly themes. He often writes about animals, food, and everyday experiences, and his poems are usually accompanied by playful illustrations. His work has been praised for encouraging a love of language and poetry in children. In addition to his writing, Prelutsky has also been involved in children's education. He has conducted poetry workshops for students and teachers, and he has served as a contributing editor for "Read!" magazine, a publication aimed at promoting reading among young people. Prelutsky has won numerous awards for his work, including the Children's Choice Award, the National Council of Teachers of English Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, and the Claudia Lewis Award for Poetry. In 2006, he was named the first Children's Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. Today, Prelutsky continues to write and publish poetry for children, and his work is beloved by young readers and educators alike.

Life of Jack Prelutsky

He enjoyed the musical training he did there and even attended some musicals. In 1958, he went to Hunter College to study for two years. After failing English three times, he dropped out. Before becoming a writer, he worked on a lot of jobs like driving a cab, working in a bookstore, and a lot more. In 1967, at the age of 24, he wrote his first book. Prelutsky has written more than 50 poetry collections, including Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep (1976), It's Halloween (1977), The Mean Old Mean Hyena (1978), and Something BIG Has Been Here (1990). He has also compiled numerous children's anthologies comprising poems of others. Early Life Jack Prelutsky was born on September 8, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York to Charles, an electrician, and Dorothea, a homemaker. While he was still a baby, a fire burned his family's apartment and he was saved by his Uncle Charlie, who was a stand up comic who played the Borscht Belt. He was poor growing up, and he said he was "...a sensitive kid in a working class neighborhood. I got beat up a lot. I was a skinny kid with a big mouth. A bad combination." He attended local public schools in the Bronx, hated the experience, and was bored in class. Prelutsky claims to have hated poetry when he was younger. He stated that "sometime in elementary school I had a teacher who, in retrospect, did not like poetry herself. She was determined to inflict her views on her captives. The syllabus told her she had to recite a poem once a week. She would pick a boring poem from a boring book and read it in a boring voice, looking bored while she was doing it." After teachers discovered he had musical talents, they suggest he attend The High School of Music & Art. While there, he was happy and was able to train his beautiful singing voice and even took part in the musicals. He graduated in 1958, and went on to Hunter College for two years. He studied philosophy, psychology, and flunked English three times before dropping out. Before becoming a writer, he worked odd jobs including driving a cab, moving furniture, busboy, potter, woodworker, and door-to-door salesman. In the late 1960's, he was working in a bookstore in Greenwich Village and singing in coffeehouses, and while doing the latter he met Bob Dylan, became friends, and Dylan even stated that Prelutsky sounded "like a cross between Woody Guthrie and Enrico Caruso". Prelutsky also loved to draw imaginary animals, and a friend of his encouraged him to send it to a publisher in New York. He wrote poems to go with the drawings last minute. He met with Susan Hirshman, and was amazed when they wanted his work; not the drawings that took six months to draw, but the poems which took two hours. He was 24 at the time, and the poems appeared in his first book, A Gopher in the Garden and Other Animal Poems. Hirshman told him he was a natural poet, published his book, and remained his editor until she retired 37 years later. Poetry Prelutsky has written more than 50 poetry collections, including Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep (1976), It's Halloween (1977), The Mean Old Mean Hyena (1978), and Something BIG Has Been Here (1990). Nilsen, A. P. and Nilsen, D.L.F. (2000). Encyclopedia of 20th-Century American Humor. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press. He has also compiled numerous children's anthologies comprising poems of others. He has also set his poems to music on the audio versions of his anthologies. He often sings and plays guitar on most of them. In 2006, the Poetry Foundation named Prelutsky the inaugural winner of the Children’s Poet Laureate award. He appeared on the popular animated television series Arthur, in the episode "I'm a Poet." His book Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant and Other Poems (illustrated by Carin Berger) won the 2007 Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award of the Washington State Book Awards in the Picture Book category. In 1993, "The New Kid on the Block" was made into an interactive story book by Brøderbund's Living Books series. Personal Life Prelutsky married his wife Carolynn in 1979. They met when he was on a book tour in Albuquerque, New Mexico and she was a children's librarian who was tasked with showing him around town. He claims it was love at first sight and even asked for her hand in marriage the first day he met her. They have lived in Arizona, Boston, New York, and Olympia, Washington. They currently live in downtown Seattle and have an apartment on Bainbridge Island.)

The Best Poem Of Jack Prelutsky

Last Night I Dreamed Of Chickens Last night I dreamed of chickens, there were chickens everywhere, they were standing on my stomach, they were nesting in my hair, they were pecking at my pillow, they were hopping on my head, they were ruffling up their feathers as they raced about my bed. They were on the chairs and tables, they were on the chandeliers, they were roosting in the corners, they were clucking in my ears, there were chickens, chickens, chickens for as far as I could see... when I woke today, I noticed there were eggs on top of me.

Jack Prelutsky Comments

He is a creative writer who interests his reader easily with his choice of vocab.

Jack my class is doing a poetry cafe that is where you tell poems and I am doing In The Cafeteria because I LOVE IT SO MUCH.By the way i am the director.

I think Jack Prelutsky is a great poet. Our 5th grade class is doing poems for Halloween on Jack Prelutsky. He is so creative in his poetry. Each one of our classmates has a spooky line. He is a great poet.

Hi Jack I love all your poems. This thing I am doing in my class is called Poetry Cafe and every kid in my class is doing one.I am doing In The Cafeteria I love it so much.Then at the end we are doing a class poem and by the way I am the director. Love, kaya

GEEZE! ! ! JACK GETS MAJOR KOODOS FOR HIS WORK! ! HE ROCKS! ! I NEVER THAUGHT I WOULD LIKE POETRY BUT MAN! ! HE TOTALY OPENED A NEW DOOR FOR ME! !

A friend has lost her daughter and is desperate to find a poem by Jack Prelutsky about sweets. Csn anyone help?

A FAcebook friend has lost her daughter suddenly and is despare

ima come back like a boomarang those are soo good!

i love my son and your poems and so does my son hudson hughes

Jack Prelutsky Popularity

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How to Write Lyric and Dramatic Poetry

What Is Lyric Poetry?

You’ve probably heard the word “lyric” before, meaning the words of a song. Today we’re going to be talking about another meaning of the same word. We’re going to talk about lyric poetry.

Because “lyric poetry” and “song lyrics” sound similar, it’s easy to mix them up, but they’re really two different things. Lyrics in a song are just the words that go with the music, whether they describe the singer’s feelings or not. But a “lyric poem” is a special kind of poetry where you express your feelings and thoughts, no music needed.

While some kinds of poems tell stories, or describe things, In a lyric poem, you share your emotions, moods, and feelings. Whether you’re super excited, kind of sad, maybe a bit angry, or even if you’re just marveling at the beauty of a sunset, lyric poems capture these moments and put them into words.

Because lyric poems express the poet’s emotions, they are usually written from the poet’s point, using words like “I” and “my” rather than talking about something or someone else. In other words, you might say, “I am feeling happy” rather than “Hannah’s feeling happy.” Got it?

And, lastly, lyric poems are usually short and often rhyme because, in ancient times, they were meant to be sung and accompanied by a musical instrument, such as a lyre, a small instrument like a tiny harp. In fact, the word lyric comes from “lyre.” Pretty cool, right?

What About “Dramatic” Poetry?

Some lyric poems are also “dramatic poems.” A dramatic poem is a lyric poem that describes emotions about a situation in a way that’s very expressive, almost like you’re acting on a stage. They’re not just about your feelings; they’re meant to be read aloud, maybe even acted out before an audience.

In other words, all dramatic poems are lyric poems, but not all lyric poems are dramatic poems. Make sense?

A Few Fun Examples

In each of these lyric poems, the poet is expressing their emotions about something:

• In the shape poem “ Pizza, Pizza, I Love You ” the poet shares their feelings of love with their favorite food.
• In the poem “ Zoom Gloom ” the poet complains about how bored they are with remote learning.
• And in “ Whenever It’s December ” the poet describes the joy of remembering the year past and looking forward to the new one.

Now, let’s get you writing your own lyric poem! Here are several ways to start…

Choose a Feeling

Think of a feeling you want to write about. It could be happiness, sadness, excitement, or even wonder. Write it down, and maybe add a detail or two, like this:

I’m angry! I’m angry! I just want to scream!

I’ve never been as happy as the way I’m feeling now.

Then continue your poem, telling the world what it is that you are angry or happy or excited about.

Pick a Moment

Or pick a moment that was filled with emotion, like the first time you played in the snow, or a particularly disgusting food you had to eat, and get started. But rather than describe it in the past, place yourself in the moment, as if it’s happening to you now. Maybe your poem begins like this:

I can’t believe I didn’t know, I love, I love, I love the snow!

or maybe this:

This Brussels sprout that’s on my plate is something that I truly hate.

Write About Something You Like or Don’t Like

If you can’t think of a moment or a feeling, maybe just think of something you like or don’t like. Love your Xbox ? Write about that. Can’t wait for the end of the school year ? Tell the world about it! Wish that your cat would stop attacking you ? There’s even a lyric poem in that.

One of my favorite lyric poem that describes something the poet doesn’t like is “Homework! Oh, Homework!” by Jack Prelutsky, which begins like this:

Homework! Oh, Homework! I hate you! You stink! I wish I could wash you away in the sink, if only a bomb would explode you to bits. Homework! Oh, homework! You’re giving me fits.

Useful Tips for Writing Lyric Poetry

Now that you know how to get started writing a lyric poem, here are a few more tips to help you as you write:

Use Descriptive Words: To make your poem vivid, use descriptive words. For example, if you’re writing about you feel when you visit the beach, you can talk about the ‘sparkling blue waves’ or the ‘soaring white seagulls.’ These descriptions help your readers picture and feel what you’re saying.

Create Short Lines: Lyric poems usually have short lines and often rhyme, though they don’t have to. Instead of writing long sentences or paragraphs, try writing short lines with just a few words, and maybe rhyming just a bit. Look at the examples above to see what I mean.

Read Lyric Poems Written by Other Poets: The more lyric poems you read that were written by others, the more ideas and inspiration you will get. Reading lots of poems will show you many different ways to go about expressing your own emotions in poetry. (Just remember not to copy other poets’ words, but to use your own instead.)

Share Your Feelings: Don’t be shy about putting your feelings into words. After all, that is the whole point of lyric poems. If a walk in the woods made you feel peaceful, write about that peaceful feeling. If it excited you, let that excitement show in your words.

Read it Aloud: Once you’ve written your poem, read it out loud. Lyric poetry is about expressing emotion, and hearing the words can help you feel if the emotion is coming through.

And remember…

There’s No Right or Wrong: In poetry, your feelings and how you express them are always right.

Practice Makes Perfect: The more you write, the better you’ll get at expressing yourself.

Have Fun: Writing poetry is like painting with words. So enjoy the process of creating something new and expressive!

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