Mechanical Poetry

by

Part One
Have you ever stared at the paper, waiting for poetic inspiration to strike? Well, stop waiting and start using systematic techniques for creating poetry. Don’t worry if it seems too mechanical or artificial at first. The point is just to start writing, because creativity is stimulated by work.

When You Have an Idea for a Poem
When you have your topic, ask why it’s important, and write down your answer. Write down how you feel about it. Write a line or a scene that exemplifies what you’re trying to say. Write notes, write random words, then start arranging it all into a poem. The main thing is to do anything to stimulate your creativity.

Poems can sometimes come from a simple description. Write a description of an event, and then find a way to form it into something succinct and poetic. The poem below, “Religion,” was created like this:

On the shoulder of Keystone Road
A woman was laying in the dirt
Calling out for help
While ninety-three Christians
Fourteen Muslims
And five Jews
Drove by
On a sunny afternoon
 

When You Need Poetic Ideas
1. Look around and write about what you see.

2. Write about any feeling you had today.

3. Ask anyone for an idea and start writing.

4. Use random words, one in each line, to create a verse.

The following verse was written in five minutes using four random words:

Our dirty little secret
Our sorrow none can see
Is not
For things we cannot have
But for things we cannot be
 

Poets can get past the worst writers-block, by simply using any “tricks” available to start writing poems. Try it. Even very artificial, or “mechanical” techniques will start your creativity flowing. You’ll find more of these poetic techniques in part two.