Poetry Month: A Salute to Acrostic Poems

I hope you have had some fun writing poems this month. Did you try your hand at limericks? Today I am going to discuss another type of poem called the Acrostic Style Poem. I’m sure you have seen such poems – this is when the first, middle or last letter of the lines spell out a word or phrase vertically. The most often used format is the first letter of the lines vertically spells out the word or phrase. The M is for Mother poem is an acrostic poem.

Because the poem focuses not only on what the words mean but also on how they are placed, the poem is not only fun to write but also to read. To start, pick out a word, a person’s name, or a short phrase you are interested in exploring – that will be your vertical word. The first word of each line is usually capitalized and sometimes even written in bold or fancy script so that the reader can keep track of the subject of the poem. I suggest you write out the vertical word or phrase first and then write each line.

Example:

An Acrostic Poem

A jolly good way to write a poem.

Challenging your creativity.

Relatable words with a theme.

Oh, so merry a poem!

Springing words across the page

To tell a story about the vertical.

Infinitely better than trying to rhyme.

Cherishing each word of the poem.

Acrostic poems take some thinking, but they are fun to write. Try one; you might like the style!

I’d love to see what you write. Comments are welcome!