A series of posts about poetry 101
Acrostic Poems
An acrostic poem is a poem in which the first letter of each line spells out something. They can spell out a name, a thing, well anything really. Full sentences, single words, or phrases in can be used in the acrostic poem.
example –
I Prefer Autumn
How I dislike getting sunburnt
Oh no, my once marbled skin is no longer pink
Too much sunshine for me.
by Michelle Moloney King
See how my the first letters of the first words spell HOT?
Here is an example of an acrostic poem that spells Ice Cream.
I love every flavour.Ice Cream
Cookies & Cream.
English Toffee.
Chocolate Chip.
Rocky Road.
Even Strawberry and
Almond Fudge.
Mmmmmmmm.
In Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, the final chapter “A Boat, Beneath
A Sunny Sky” is an acrostic of the real Alice’s name: Alice Pleasance Liddell.
A boat, beneath a sunny sky
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July –
Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear –
Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.
Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.
Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.
In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream –
Lingering in the golden gleam –
Life, what is it but a dream?
These are a dream lesson as kids are quick to pick up the concept. I have seen some rather sophisticated ones in literary journals and there are even some competitions in this genre. More research would be needed though to craft at that level, enjoy writing!
Michelle Moloney King 