A good poem and a good song have a lot in common. In both cases, the writer needs to find common ground with their audience to gain their sympathy and maintain their interest. A poet or lyricist has done well if the reader (listener) can say, "I know just what they mean." The tale may be very different from the hearer's own experience, but the heart issues - courage or fear, rejection or approval, great desire or a cold heart... are universal and give the verse it's soul.

Not all emotional writing is poetry. Poetry has to have an order to it. Even blank verse has a scheme to it (iambic pentameter such as found in Shakespeare's works or in Paradise Lost). Not all rhyme is poetry. Merely relating a story in rhyme is rhyming-verse. Poetry may be short or long, but it uses an economy of words... the most picturesque, to express an idea. It reaches past the obvious and bares the soul. If I write out every detail of an event - no matter how beautiful the language - it is prose, not poetry.

Two helpful tools used in poetry are metaphor and personification. Personification gives human characteristics to an object. Some examples of personification are; a laughing brook, sunbeams dancing, branches reaching, stars winking, and the sun peeking through a dark curtain. In the last example, the dark curtain is a metaphor for storm clouds. Metaphor (met'-ah-for) is a picture used in place of an object. If you use the word "like" or "as" to compare two things in your poem, it becomes a simile (sim'-uh-lee).

A good poem will take the meaning of the event, place it in form, and give it wings. As I read your poem, instead of my mind merely acknowledging facts, I feel what you feel. I step into your shoes or back in time. I understand you. An example of this kind of poetry is Robert Frost's, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening". You hear the horse's bells, you sense the ambivalence... the longing to stay... the need to go. Instead of only telling you about the place, Mr. Frost takes you there.

Writing in rhyme is excellent practice for children. They should begin with a consistent meter (rhythm) and rhyme scheme. Some good rhyme schemes are: AAAA (the end of every line rhymes), ABAB (every other line rhymes), ABCB (the 2nd and 4th line rhyme) or AABB (the first two rhyme and the 2nd two rhyme) - also called couplets. The limerick is also a good beginning scheme, but tends to be reserved for silly poems. The rhythm doesn't lend itself to serious matters. An excellent resource for your family is a rhyming dictionary. Every possible rhyming word may be found there (including antiquated words).

The syllables in each line are also important. There needs to be a pattern to the words that is repeated in the rhyming lines (or at least, a complimentary pattern). The emphasis of syllables is also important. Read it aloud. It should come easily off the tongue. Forcing something to fit makes the poem very uncomfortable, and finding the right words can be stressful to a perfectionist!

Reading poetry to your children will give them a sense of what makes a good poem. Be sure to read with feeling. If a "poem" is too bland to read with feeling, don't bother with it. It does more harm than good to make our children stuff down poor literature. There are riches to be found! Look for the best, and let the children feast on it. For technical information about different kinds of poetry and their forms you can refer to the World Book Encyclopedia, under "poetry".

A lyric is a special kind of poetry. It must also be universal (meaningful to the masses). However, a song is written in conversational form, using rhyme. It uses simple words. Poems can use lofty words because the reader has time to reflect on them. Lyrics don't have that luxury. Not only the feeling, but the language of the common man must be used. It must flow in a natural way, like speaking. The emphasis in the beat or rhythm must be on important words. You wouldn't want to hold a note on an unimportant word. The specific meter will depend on the music. Often lyricists find writing is easier if the melody is done first.

A good way to begin lyric writing is to use an existing tune and write your own words to it. Later on, you could take the words and put new music to them. If your child is interested in pursuing song writing, I recommend "The Art and Craft of Lyric Writing" by Sheila Davis. It has been a valuable tool to me as I've developed my own writing style. Here's an example: (The first two stanzas of a lyric I wrote in 1977)