First Day of Teaching Poetry

What is poetry?
--It rhymes. Well, not always.
--It's about something.
It has a theme?
--Yes.
--It doesn't tell a story,
Well, it can tell a story.
--It has, like, a da-duh, da-da to it.
Meter, or rhythm. Yes, sometimes it has meter.
--It's verse.
It can be in verses.
--It has lines. Like, not like a paragraph.
Yes, that's an important part of writing poetry, thinking about where you will break it into lines.
--It uses figurative language, like onomatopoeia and metaphors.
Yes, that's another important part of poetry.
Poetry can show a scene, or paint a mood or feeling, or even tell a story. But it's different than prose.

Poetry is a slippery, shimmering fish
Darting about
Confusing us
Causing a laugh
Bringing a tear
A pang of recognition