Poetry

Many people have tried to define poetry. It is more than just words that rhyme or lines in verses. Often good poetry says something meaningful in just a few words. It is concentrated language.
If you read a few lines of poetry, it often sticks in your mind. That's why it works well in places where people have to read quickly, such as on posters at train stations.
Poets usually have strong feelings about the subject of their poem. They often want the people who read their poems to feel the emotion too.

Here's how some famous poets define poetry:

"The best words in the best order." Samuel Taylor Coleridge
"The record of the best and happiest moments of the best and happiest minds." Percy Shelley
"If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that it is poetry." Emily Dickinson
"A poem begins with a lump in the throat, a home-sickness or a love-sickness. It is a reaching-out toward expression; an effort to find fulfillment. A complete poem is one where the emotion has found its thought and the thought has found the words."Robert Frost
"Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings." William Wordsworth

Poetry often has a strong rhythm or beat, like the lyrics to a song. Many poems use words to paint a picture in your head.

Here are some great resources to help you analyse and create poetry.

Poets.org
Find a poem or poet by searching the database.

Sonnet Central
An archive of English sonnets, commentary, and relevant web links and a forum for poets to share and discuss.

Poetry Out Loud
Hear poems read out loud and get some tips on how to recite poetry like a professional

Poetry4Kids
A website about how to write poetry.

Australian Children's Poetry
Find some great information about Australian poets.

Poetry 180
An innovative site which consistes of a poem a day for students and their teachers to read, study and enjoy.

10 Ways to Use Poetry in the Classroom
Discover ten ways to integrate poetry into your language, reading, and writing lessons.