How to Write a Three Line Poem
- 1). Look around you for ideas for your poem if you do not already have one. The simplest, most basic part of your life or something you see, smell, hear, taste or touch could be the basis of your poem. Think of stories you have told or heard, the vein of a leaf you see on the ground, and anything else you experience as fair game for poetry material.
- 2). Write ideas, words, phrases, and lines for your poem on a piece of paper. Keep your pencil or pen moving. Even if what comes out on the paper is not what you ultimately want your poem to say, continue writing to get your ideas out of your head and onto paper. This process could take you five minutes, or it could take much longer.
- 3). Take a break if you need one. Come back and try again to get your thoughts on paper. Remember that lines do not have to rhyme or make sense to anyone but you.
- 4). Gather the ideas and phrases that you like. Combine them to draft the three lines of your poem.
- 5). Play around with different formats for your poem. You can center them on the page, place them left- justified or write them in a spiral. Draw lines to symbolize the lines of your poem as you map out different formats.
- 6). Arrange the lines of your poem according to the format you have chosen. The format serves structural, organizational, and aesthetic purposes in presenting your poem to others. It helps people know where one line ends and another begins, and it helps them see your poetry as an entity. Use rhythm (the way the poem sounds with accented and unaccented syllables) and meter (rhythmic structure of the poem) to create an internal structure for your poem.
- 7). Edit your poem if you are not satisfied with it. Choose new words, change punctuation around (if your poem has any) and read your poem aloud to see if you like how it sounds.