So if we take this “personal touch” and write poetry, we feel something.You can find a quick rundown here The structure of the poem, the right words blended together to perfection, the voice heard between the lines that rattle the soul–we feel emotion.

To find happiness is to reach out from the piece of paper and reach out to a lot of people emotionally. The poem must have the ability to do this; most don’t Even if you jump into today’s world and decide to have your poems typed and displayed online, the emotion must come through the screen and reach out to all kinds of readers emotionally, something no amount of email can do.

Elizabeth Alexander
A scholar of African-American literature, Alexander is most well known for her book of poems entitled “American Sublime” that was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2005.

Charles Simic
Though first published in 1967, this Serbian-American poet has had a definitive impact on contemporary poetry especially while serving as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.

Gary Soto
Raised in California by his poor, immigrant mother, Soto is able to draw on his life of hardship and the lives of others to create poems that both accurately and beautifully reflect the lives of the Mexican-American community.

Nikki Giovanni
While much of Giovanni’s poetry centers around racial pride and making a difference in the world, respect and family relationships are also driving forces in her work.

Billy Collins
With all of the awards and distinctions given to Collins throughout his career, it is no wonder that the New York Times refers to him as “The most popular poet in America.”

Sylvia Plath is mainly known for her novel, “The Bell Jar.” Many people realized that she was also a poet, but not a lot of people remember much of her prose. These people would do very well to pick up one of her anthologies and read “Bitter Strawberries,” “April 21,” “Stillborn” and “Sonnet to Satan” for a taste of what she was truly great at.

As for Robert Browning, fewer people are talking about this great poet. It seems that many people remember his first poem, “Pauline,” but no one ever talks about his epic “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.” This is one of the most fascinating poems written during that time period and it really should get more attention. Just some food for thought.

Introduce your children to the arts early in their lives. Read to them, take them to concerts, concerts in an outdoor setting are best for the very young, encourage them to use beautiful language by your own example. Teach them about poetry.Additional information can be found at http://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/the-heart-of-haiku-jane-hirschfield/.

Poetry allows a person to express their emotions. Shakespeare’s greatest sonnets mourn the death of his only son.

If your family observes the traditional family dinner, dedicate a portion of the time spent eating to reciting a memorized poem, or spontaneously creating one. Give time to every family member interested.

If the rhythm of classical poetry eludes you, Iambic Pentameter – what is that? – Try free verse or the Japanese poetry form Haiku. Haiku is a short verse that does not need to rhyme. A haiku is composed of three lines with five syllables in the first and third line and seven in the second. The ending should have a bit of a twist to it.

No time for a family dinner, exchange bedtime stories with occasional poetry.

Free verse poetry became quite popular in the Twentieth Century, but it was around long before that time. Free verse is as old as the Bible; what is more beautiful than the Psalms, Song of Solomon and other books and passages, including some in the New Testament? Most of this poetry is written in free verse.

There are some poets who believe poetry has to rhyme or it is not real poetry. I disagree with that idea. There are many poetic devices that can bring music and magic to your poetry. A few of those devices include: alliteration (the repetition of initial consonant sounds letter), imagery (a mental picture, or a likeness the senses can perceive), metaphor (a comparison of two things, such as ‘the yellow fog that is a cat.”, onomatopoeia (word or phrase whose sound imitates the sense) and personification (endows inanimate objects with human traits or abilities).

Writing poetry is quite contagious once you get into it whether it is traditional rhymed poetry or free verse. Remember, free verse is not new. Try writing free verse, be a friend of free verse and there is no rule that you cannot have a few rhyming lines that just happen. Never force a rhyme scheme into any poetry, be it traditional or Free verse..

First, let go of the need to “figure out what it means.” Starting this way causes readers to miss what the poet is up to, leading to frustration instead of joyful exploration.

Instead, read this way:

1.Read the poem; just enjoy it, don’t try to understand it.
2.Read the poem again, but try to notice things this time. What words or phrases or ideas strike you as fun, interesting, or confusing.
3.Share your observations and re-read.
4.Ask questions like these: Why did the poet do that? Why did the poet choose this word? What do these words help me see or feel?
5.Continue asking questions until you’ve exhausted your ideas.
6.Re-read the poem again.

By this time, you will find that you are beginning to understand the poem. Happily, instead of trying to force meaning into the poem, you have now tried to make sense of the poem based on observations about how the poet played with the words in his or her poem.

Now that’s having fun playing with words!

As a young child Maya Angelou experienced an awful event and was a victim of sexual misconduct of an adult in the household. Oprah herself can relate to this because as a young child Oprah was raped. This is something that many people can relate too. Each of the stories in their lives are different but they have a common thread. Maya Angelou became a self chosen mute following the sexual misconduct from an adult. This event was of significance because from that point Maya carried a note pad and pencil and wrote everything rather than vocally expressing herself. She had positive influences in her life that encouraged her to read and pointed out that you cannot truly love poetry until you have spoken it. This encouraged Maya and eventually led to Maya talking again. She later became a famous writer and speaker.