Beginning a Poem

One thing to remember is that when beginning a poem, your real "poem" may not appear until later in the draft. Often the first few lines we write are the turning the key in the ignition, the release of the brake, the shifting into gears, the checking of the rear-view mirror, until pulling out of the driveway and getting onto the road. We may be far down the road before we realize we forgot our luggage.

In other words, the REAL opening of the poem, may not be the first line we write.
An opener, just like fiction, should grab our attention and provide us with information regarding what the theme or meaning behind the poem is, provide the reader with a setting, a speaker, and an occasion for the speaker to speak.

There is no one way in which to write a good poem.

Getting started can be difficult. If you have one of these problems consider the solution:

Writer's Block: lower your standards. Just write through it; you may have to cut a lot afterwards, but you'll at least have something written. Don't let writer's block be an excuse. Poets write hundreds of bad poems to write one good one.

Busy: Set aside time to write. Make this time sacred. You are fortunate in that you have 40 minutes everyday set aside for you to write. Use it!

Not sure what to write or what your subject is: try automatic writing, freewriting, brainstorming, etc. Use your journal to come up with ideas. None of these have to be good to start off with. But by the time you have crafted your work, it should be presentable and good enough to share.

Not sure what to write or what your subject is: try reading other poems. Then borrow ideas or subjects. Don't copy, but borrow words and put them in different order, steal a subject, a setting, a conflict, etc. Then write it your way!

It may help to answer these questions BEFORE you begin:

1. Who/What is my subject?
2. Who is my speaker (or voice)?
3. Where is my setting (where is my speaker speaking)?
4. Who is my speaker speaking to? (audience)
5. Why is my speaker speaking? (motivation)