You can write poetry that will knock the socks off your children and other readers. If you were to ask this teacher of thirty-three
years, what type of poetry has the biggest impact on kids and students, the thumbs up winner is light verse.
Light verse is defined as “poetry that is playful or humorous and usually rhymed.” If we extend the umbrellas of “light verse” to
include such poetry as what we find in the late Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends 
or Falling Up,
which is full of quirks, surprise rhymes, and free verse, then light verse is music to soul of most elementary students.
Children love the poetry books of Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Judith Viorst, Bruce Lansky, Jeff Moss, and Kalli Dakoa. At first
glance their poems look easy to write. Just pick a topic—any topic—from apples to zebras, and write a poem. You don’t have to worry
inordinately about the rhyme scheme, as long as the words make sense and sound good being read. Don’t forget to use your delicious six
senses, interesting word patterns, and line endings to distinguish your work.
Oh, yes, when writing these poems, poets draw heavily from the palette of their essential tools –similes, metaphor, alliteration, and
onamopedia. Of course, whether the poet is a professional or a student, it will take more than one sitting or class period to finish a
polished poem—that is, one worthy of posting or publishing.
Although it may seem easy to create short poems, experienced poets know it isn’t. Expensive gifts frequently come in small boxes, just
like short gems of poetry. It can take many drafts to create a short, priceless poem. In the hands of those who love light verse,
writing is a labor of love. Much time will be spent picking the right words, metaphors, and more.
When done well, light verse is lightning verse. Crack! Snap! Crack! Words comes out of the writer’s dark gray mind, ignited by a
piece of conversation, an old photo or whatever sizzles, and they explode across the yellow lined paper or the well lit monitor,
shocking the poet into paying attention to the cosmic images, voices, and feelings! Words are written or typed with zest that
communicate with humor or seriousness the joys and challenges of being a child.
For example, this is from Picture Poetry on Parade!,
“My ABCs Riddle”:
My ABCs are sticky.
My ABCs are icky.
My ABCs are germy.
My ABCs are a janitor’s nightmare.
My ABCs are found on desktops,
Chairs, floors, and more.
My ABCs,
have you guessed
them by now?
I bet you have—
Already Been Chewed gum.
Good poetry sticks to our dendrites, and we never forget the likes of Silverstein’s Hector the Collector or Captain Hook, or what it’s
like be in class with Lansky’s Gloria, who has a king sized zit.
When I taught grades three and four, I used light verse to open the door in my room to the wonderful world of poetry and writing. I had
many students who couldn’t wait to have me for a teacher because they had heard from the grapevine or their older sibling that kids in
my class had it easy. Kids in my class wrote “short things”—that is, polished poems. And they had “long recesses”—that is, a few extra
minutes of oxygen on the playground after lunch. Each year they marched in with high hopes of short things and more oxygen, and I never
disappointed them. They earned those extra gasps of fresh air by writing their hearts outs in the classroom.
Posted on my classroom door in September was Silverstein’s poem “Invitation.” In case they didn’t notice it when they walked in, I made
a big deal of reading it in my best voice before opening announcements and lunch count. Oh, how their eyes twinkled when they realized
this teacher had only two things on the immediate agenda—poems and recess! And everyone was welcomed, including “liars and magic bean
buyers.” They knew instantly this was going to be a special year.
What they didn’t know was that they were going to write and write, while learning to appreciate good children’s literature, prose and
poetry. Light verse wasn’t just used on day one to reduce first day jitters. It was used to get the poetry wheel of good fortune and
teaching rolling.
We wrote our “Name Poem” in acrostics and illustrated them with magic markers. Then we introduced ourselves and our poems to the class.
In the afternoon, we wrote eight statements, four true, four false, and put them in any order, thus making our second poem of the day,
“Truths and Lies.”
They laughed with delight at their lies and what fun it was to be a writer—to tell the truth, to tell a whopper, and to be the only one
to know the difference. Writers have such power at the end of their pencil points, especially those that write with lightning verse.
After you have studied some great children's poets, give it a try. You and your kids might love your dazzling poems. And writing poetry
will help to keep your prose alive, well, and thriving. Just do it!
About The Author:
Joseph "Silly" Sottile, also know as "Silly Sottile," has taught for a number of years in upstate New York. He loves writing
poetry and performing. He enjoys, kids, words, and pictures. Visit him at Joe Sottile
or at Poetry Plus.
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