An ode is a poem that celebrates, pays respect to, and honors someone or something. Odes originated in Ancient Greece and were meant to be sung.

Odes do not have a rhyme scheme or set number of lines. They are often written in several stanzas (poetry paragraphs).

Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet, wrote odes to everyday objects like an onion, salt, and his socks.

Check out these books on Neruda and his odes: Ode to an Onion: Pablo Neruda and His Muse, Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People, and The Dreamer.

Figurative language is how poets creatively express feelings and ideas. There are many types of figurative language. Here are a few of the most common:

Metaphor: comparing two unlike things without using “like” or “as.” “Hope is the thing with feathers/ That perches on the soul.” Emily Dickinson

Simile- comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as.” “I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o’er vales and hills.” William Wordsworth

Try using metaphors or similes in a list poem. Start with the words, “I am…”

One of the best poets of all time (I think!), Naomi Shihab Nye, in her poem “Valentine for Ernest Mann,” invites us to think about where poems hide.

What I take from this invitation is that a poem can be about anything, and sometimes we find a poem in the most surprising places.

You can read “Valentine for Ernest Mann” here and learn about why Nye wrote this poem here. It might surprise you!

In Shel Silverstein’s poem “Whatif,” we hear the speaker’s worries. One of the gifts of poetry, and writing in general, is the opportunity to put our feelings on the page. The page becomes a place to hold our emotions, so we can find clarity and take a break from holding on to our feelings so tightly.

Listen to Shel Silverstein read “Whatif” and maybe put your what-ifs into your own poem.

Nikki Grimes shares paired poems from her book “Pocketful of Poems” in this video.

In this book, Grimes wrote haikus and then used a word from her haikus to write free verse poems to go with them.

Your turn! Write or read a haiku, and then use one word from the haiku to write a paired poem.

Personification is a type of figurative language where the poet gives human-like qualities to something that isn’t human.

In Jack Prelutsky’s poem, “A Fine Head of Lettuce,” the speaker is a head of lettuce.

Choose an object from your refrigerator, a toy, or any object, and write a poem from its perspective.

A found poem is a poem created by collecting words from other places. Books, road signs, newspaper articles, and found poems can be “found” anywhere!

Join Creative ELA students on April 9th, 2026, for a free Found Poem workshop!

Students will use their favorite books to collect words and create poetry.

In Mary Oliver’s poem “What is it?” she observes nature and writes about it.

Go outside and write down all the things you see, hear, smell, and feel. Look way up into the sky. Get down low near the ground. Turn your observations into a poem.

Poet Ken Nesbitt’s Poetry4Kids page has a rhyming dictionary. Many poets today use a rhyming dictionary to help them find the words they need.

Choose a topic for a poem and list out all the words you can think of that relate to that topic.

Head to the rhyming dictionary to find words that rhyme.

Create a poem 🙂

I Opened a Book

“I opened a book and in I strode.
Now nobody can find me.
I’ve left my chair, my house, my road,
My town and my world behind me.
I’m wearing the cloak, I’ve slipped on the ring,
I’ve swallowed the magic potion.
I’ve fought with a dragon, dined with a king
And dived in a bottomless ocean.
I opened a book and made some friends.
I shared their tears and laughter
And followed their road with its bumps and bends
To the happily ever after.
I finished my book and out I came.
The cloak can no longer hide me.
My chair and my house are just the same,
But I have a book inside me.”
― Julia Donaldson

Write about what it feels like to do something you love to do.

Try writing three poems in any style that start with the words “Yesterday,” “Today,” and “Tomorrow.”

How different does each day look and feel? What’s similar?

What did you learn or experience in your past? What are you learning right now? What do you hope to learn or do in your future?

Today’s prompt is inspired by Chris Harris’ poem “Frog Race.” It in no way encourages the throwing of frogs!

What it does encourage is repetition. Repetition is one of the ways poets create rhythm and show importance.

Give it a try. Give it a try. A try 🙂

Have you ever written a poem for two voices? Paul Fleischman, in his book Joyful Noise, offers many examples.

To read this poem, one person reads the lines on the right side and the other on the left. When there are lines on both sides, both readers read at the same time.

There are several ways to write a poem for two voices.

• Write a poem and then divide it into two columns. Add in repetition where you want the voices to come together.
• Write a poem from two points of view. One point is on the left, one on the right; the area where they agree is in the middle.
• Have two people write a poem about the same subject. Once done, work together to combine the poems into one.

We’re halfway through National Poetry Month!

Let’s play with imagery. One of my favorite ways is by snacking 🙂

Grab your favorite food or drink.
Experience it through all of your senses.
Write a poem.

Keep playing with imagery by tuning into the world around you.

What do you hear?

Go outside and make a list of what is making noise.

Listen.

How do the sounds make you feel?

Write a poem.

Let’s keep playing with imagery!

What really smells?

What makes your eyes light up?

What textures are around you?

All these sensory experiences can make interesting topics or details in a poem.

Let’s play with magnetic poetry! Don’t have a kit? No worries, MagneticPoetry.com has online versions.

Grab a handful of words, choose a topic, and make a poem.

This is a great exercise to help writers create images that are more figurative than literal.

Happy Earth Day!!

In her poem “Earth Day,” Jane Yolen says, “I am the Earth and the Earth is me.”

Write a poem about how you are a part of our planet OR write about what you love about the Earth.

Write a poem from the Earth’s point of view or a poem about what you hope for our world.