This week in our LS2 class, we spent time learning about different methods and styles of writing poems, exploring how poems can be constructed in various ways. Our teachers gave us a specific challenge: to write a poem about something anything we wanted to think about or question. For example, we could choose to write a poem about what a million is, or what family means, or any other idea or concept that comes to our mind. The point was to think about these concepts deeply and then express our thoughts and feelings about them through poetry. My topic was Relaxation and Peace
In addition to coming up with the ideas, we had to follow a particular method or structure that we learned about for writing these poems. The structure was originally used to write what’s called a “paired poem,” which involves two parts or two voices that talk to each other. But in this case, we used that same structure to build a “list poem,” which is a kind of poem that lists things or ideas, often in a rhythmic and organized way. The challenge was to take the structure of the paired poem, which usually involves two different perspectives or parts, and adapt it into a list poem that simply lists out different things or ideas related to our main topic.
The reason for doing this was probably to help us understand that poems can be written in many different ways, and that structure is a useful tool in poetry. By following the format of a paired poem, we learned how to organize our thoughts clearly and creatively when listing ideas related to our chosen topic. For example, if someone picked “family,” their list poem might include lines like “Family is love, Family is support, Family is understanding,” and so on, each line describing a different aspect or meaning of family.
Overall, this exercise was about expanding our skills in poetry writing learning about different styles, practicing how to follow a specific structure, and expressing our ideas about abstract concepts in a creative way. It was a chance to think deeply about the topics we chose, and then to communicate our thoughts in a poetic form that makes the reader see those ideas in a new, more artistic light. We learned that writing poetry isn’t just about following rules but also about playing with words and ideas to make something interesting and meaningful. The goal was to have fun with words, explore different ways to present ideas, and express ourselves through poetic storytelling, all while practicing structure and creativity.