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Writing a List Poem
Did you know a list can be poetic? A list poem features an inventory of people, places, things, or ideas organized in a special way. Often the title says what the list is about. It does not necessarily need to include rhythm or rhyme, but each word should be carefully chosen and memorable. Check out these list poems:
What's in the box under my bed?
eight marbles and a shoestring
a shiny bubblegum ring
two valuable baseball cards
some chocolate candy bars
a letter my friend wrote
Black History Is
Frederick at a lectern
Harriet along a railroad
Rosa aboard a bus
Martin amid a march
Thurgood inside a courtroom
Nine outside a schoolhouse
Jackie at the ball diamond
Mae beyond the Earth
Barack atop the polls
Your Turn Follow the steps to create a list poem.
- Review the sample poems above.
- Pick a topic you care a lot about.
- Choose a title that invites readers into your poem.
- Create a thoughtful list that reveals something about your title.
- Revise the wording of your list items to make them more vivid or memorable.
Writing a List Poem by Thoughtful Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at k12.thoughtfullearning.com/minilesson/writing-list-poem.