The Acrostic Poem ~ Writing Assignment #20
What is on my mind today? Acrostics!
Walking by Inner vision – Writing Assignment #20
“The Sky Visited Me”
Today, we explore the ACROSTIC POEM: This in an old poetry form often used by poets to send secret messages to a loved one. Follow my steps as outlined below to learn how to write an ACROSTIC POEM. Then, you can kick it up a notch, by following my next step AFTER you created your FIRST Acrostic poem.
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Step ONE: Think of a word, and write the letters of that word down the left side of the page –
Example: My name is Lynda.
Here is how I would write it VERTICALLY to begin the acrostic poem:
L
Y
N
D
A
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STEP TWO_Begin each line of your poem using the letter of your WORD, for each line, as you write it. Yes! It is that easy!
Here is what I wrote using the letters from my name, LYNDA. Consider this the FIRST STEP in writing the Acrostic poem.
After you have completed yours, then read it over a few times and fix anything that does not sound right to you when you read it aloud.
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“Dangerous Cats”
by Lynda McKinney Lambert, 2015
Lavender mists covered the pathway in the woods
Yesterday the sky was gloomy and dark
Nevertheless large black crows visited me
Dangerous cats were near the nest
All the birds are on high alert this morning
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Now, I want you to change it UP a bit.
You wrote the STRAIGHT ACROSTIC POEM.
At this time, I ask you to rewrite that poem:
mix up the lines
scrambling the lines and words into a new order.
You will disguise the original acrostic letters you used to begin the first poem, too. You should have a nice surprise when you take this next step! Here is when the MAGIC enters your poetry!
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“the sky visited me”
by Lynda McKinney Lambert
near the nest
all the birds were covered
by lavender mists
gloomy and dark
this morning
large black crows
the pathway
was dangerous
the sky visited me
yesterday
on high alert
all cats are in the woods
nevertheless
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Lynda McKinney Lambert. Copyright 2015. All Rights Reserved.