Learning Support Material: Poetry

Session 2: Practice 1

          What makes a poem?

What makes a poem?

Whatever you feel:

The secrets of rain

On a window pane,

The smell of a rose

Or of cowboy clothes,

The sound of a flute

Or a foghorn hoot,

The taste of a cake

Or a fresh water lake,

The touch of grass

Or an icy glass,

The shout of noon

Or the silent moon,

A standstill leaf

Or a rolling wheel,

Laughter and grief:

Whatever you feel.

                                Eve Merriam

Questions

1. What are the literary devices employed in this poem? What are their effects?

2. What are the sensory elements found in the poem? What do they entail?

3. What is the line repeated? What is the effect of this device?