Happy Poetry Month!
The 2025 National Poetry Month poster, commissioned by the Academy of American Poets, features an excerpt from "Gate A-4", a poem by former Young People's Poet Laureate and Academy Chancellor Naomi Shihab Nye, as well as artwork by New York Times-bestselling author and illustrator Christy Mandin. Click on the link above to read Naomi's poem!
I write poetry for children. Here is an acrostic poem that shows a little of what I feel children's poems are:
Passionate
Original
Emotional
Musical
Sensory
Passionate—inspiring, spirited. When I write a poem, I feel excited about it!
Original—fresh and new. I want my poem to be written in a way that no one else has written it before. The idea has probably been used before, but what's important is how I present it.
Emotional—coming from my heart. Inspired by my own emotions, but also to make the reader feel some emotion of their own when they read my poem.
Musical—rhythmic. Whether written in rhyme or not, I want my poem to have a rhythm that matches the tone of the poem.
Sensory—use of the five senses to show what's going on in my poem. Using sight, sound, taste, touch and smell to bring the reader into my poem and create images in their mind.
Follow this link to read more about National Poetry Month and follow the links to find more ways to celebrate National Poetry Month!