How To Share A Child Poem

For a child, poems are very abstract. They do not have the flashy colors, vibrant energy or loud explosions of Saturday morning cartoons and display little of the exciting, adventurous tones of a particularly engaging comic book. However, to a child, poems that strike the right cord are not impossible to find. You just need to find the right child poem. A child poem is not very much unlike a normal poem. It is however, written and directed toward children, offering details that they would enjoy.

Poetry is a fickle art form with millions of examples; many of them brilliant, many of them awful, and a great deal of them quite dull or too complicated for a child. To strike the right note early on with a child, poems that are simple and interesting are vital. They also serve to create a growing interest in reading at a young age.

What to look for in a Child Poem

Children’s poetry in the 20th century has a very unique flavor to it, having been developed and institutionalized by writers like Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein. However, they were not the first to write child poems and should not be the last place a parent looks when trying to find the perfect one. With that in mind, what exactly should those parents look for?

A child poem should be lighthearted
A compelling storyline is also a great selling point for a child poem.
Abstract emotion and metaphor will bore a child.
Child Poems should not create unwanted situations with awkward, touchy subjects.
A child poem should be written to entertain, not solely teach. A good combination is always good though.

Who to turn to for a Child Poem

Many of the great writers of children’s literature also wrote poetry during their lives. Lewis Carroll is a great example. Famous for Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Carroll’s poetry is equally as compelling. Jabberwocky is a great, funny nonsense child poem from those books:

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

Rudyard Kipling also wrote his fair share of poetry alongside his novels. Famous for his work on The Jungle Book among many other adventurous children’s stories, Kipling wrote poems like Gunga Din, long story driven pieces that were both funny and compelling for young children.

Louisa May Alcott, the famous author of Little Women and Little Men and an almost essential writer in the canon of American literature wrote her own share of goofy child poems as well. Poems such as “The Rock and the Bubble” and “A Song from the Suds” are funny, entertaining distractions for children. Her poems especially strike at the curiosity of a child, the most important target for any literary work, lest that child grows bored too quickly

Thorn

Beneath the shadow of the sky
I felt the wind pulse, watched it fly.
In the autumn, in the storm,
The wind was true, the wind was warm.
Warmer than what I'd become
For I was empty, cold, and numb.

Like a blossom in the frost
That dies in heartache and is lost
Despairing it will never be
Young again; will never see
The moonlit dewdrop's quiet birth
And fades to cold, black, callous earth...
I hungered no more for the stars.
I raised myself against the bars,
And shut away each desperate scheme.
A dream no longer was a dream.
Standing by the barren isle,
There was a lie behind my smile.
The mountain storm could touch me not
And not the sea. For I had sought,
And I had failed. And I had hated
Every hope my heart created.

By the strength my eyes beguiled,
I grew old when still a child.
And so I sank, forgot, and sighed
But for whispers, deep inside;
But for wishes to return.
And yet the dread to fail, to burn,
Overpowered dying love.
With one last frantic glance above,
I longed that I might live once more,
To suffer truth, as long before.

Desperate prayer in the sand...
I reached out my quivering hand,
And felt the blue light of the sky
The moon's cold breath fell to my eye,
And as the summer winds wash tears,
A memory washed away my fears.

Beating heart and burning breath,
Love reawakened from the death,
Shivering flesh against the night
Awakened to a dying light.

A quiet child sleeps peacefully,
Somewhere deep inside of me,
Who knew her love and knew her name;
Spoke no hatred, felt no shame;
Who knew a true, unbroken mirror,
Bore no secret, hid no tear.
She laughed upon a starlit beam,
Without fear and without scheme,
Seldom hid herself from pain,
And never shuttered in the rain.
Subtle age tears at the young.
Songs are withered and resung.

After a day or a million years
Of soft oblivion and fears,
Of quiet panic, bursting sin,
Silent fight raged deep within,
Hearts are crushed and are reborn
From the blood upon the thorn.

Effective Tips To Succeed In Poem Publishing

As the traditional book publishing industry becomes warier of risk and more dedicated to sure-thing titles by celebrity authors, movie tie-ins, and self-help books, poets in particular can find it hard to find a foothold.

While artistic success in poetry might simply lie in the writing itself, commercial success can be trickier to achieve. For the poet, the dream of keeping pace with best-selling authors like J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, and Danielle Steel may be an aspiration that’s hard to reach. This doesn’t mean that poets cannot find success in publishing poetry, though; success can be achieved by marketing in the right way to the right people.

Nurturing an audience hungry for published poetry:

For many poets, the joy of poetry is in the expression itself. Others find that sharing their poems with an appreciative audience brings a heightened sense of fulfillment.

The poet seeking to market their writing must be willing to search out and find their audience, an audience hungry for poetry. A strong DIY ethic serves the poet well in accomplishing this task. Promoting on a “grassroots” level is often the best way for an aspiring poet to find their niche audience, which is frequently a group of other writers who share a passion for poetry.

While self-publishing is the poet's greatest tool when it comes to getting published, traditional publishing can still play a role in building an audience. If a poet is lucky enough to be accepted by a large-scale, traditional publisher, the accomplishment should be celebrated. It’s an invaluable accomplishment to build on. The downside is that in the industry, poetry books do not receive much in the way of a marketing push. In the gambler’s game of publishing, publishers stack their odds by putting all of their marketing efforts towards a few selected titles in hopes of creating bestsellers, while leaving a sea of titles neglected. Unfortunately, the bestselling titles are rarely collections of poetry.

Instead of becoming frustrated by large national publications, concentrate locally. In addition to self-publishing, small or regional literary publications are the most sensible places to submit works if you're looking to publish traditionally. Not only will you have a much greater chance of being accepted, but other networking opportunities can arrive. Through small-scale local publishing you can begin building an audience. Additionally, these publications often include classified listings for local and online writer’s groups.

Writer’s groups can provide a supportive environment and constructive criticism, both which can help refine the poet’s skills and voice. Sharing work with peers is satisfying to many poets, and will provide a diversity of opinions and advice. Poets who have trouble finding a local group can turn to technology to find a community. Search for writer's groups on Facebook or find other writer's forums and start social networking with other authors. Online writer's forums can provide valuable connections and feedback as well, but unfortunately, they lack the face-to-face contact that offers the poet the best chance to see how their words affect others.

Poem Publishing for the DIY Poet:

The rise of self-publishing technology has given writers, poets and artists with niche audiences more control over their own destiny. For the first time in history, the tools of the publishing industry are available to writers everywhere. Instead of a small number of people deciding what gets printed and what doesn’t, anyone who has the will to write has the freedom to pursue publication.

Poets in particular stand to gain greatly from the ongoing development of self-publishing and new publishers. One such publisher is Wordclay, an online publisher where authors can publish books for free. A poet can now create an attractive, professional presentation of their work, and make it available to the audience they have worked so hard to cultivate.

By combining the new technology and freedom offered through self-publishers and using a grassroots mentality to develop a niche audience, poets can enjoy the success of book publishing along with the pop-fiction novelist.

Never Thought It Would Be You

Poetry is the language of emotion and as such it is often dense and difficult to read. The exception to this is the love poem. Love is the one emotion that although it causes conflicts and confusion when not returned, and sometimes a form of madness not unlike obsessive compulsive disorder - when it is returned - it is the simplest emotion to understand.

Valentine's day often has people looking for poetry. People who at any other time would say they never read it. It is because we feel so profoundly when we love that need a poet to find the words to express it for us. Robbie Burns "Red red rose" speaks of a long lasting love, "Let me Count the ways" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning showed her lover how deeply she felt.

Bee Rawlings "Saga Love" is a brilliant self depreciating poem about older lovers, taking back from the young their oft thought exclusive right to love deeply. Funny to read but showing deep affection for her mate, it celebrates a loving relationship warts and all.

I have written many love poems over the years but this one remains my favourite. It describes the way that love so often takes us by surprise.

...NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD BE YOU…

It is you,
you who I love
with a heart straining to please
unsure of myself, caring too much
to pretend it doesn’t matter and
helpless as an infant in my need.

Oh, but I love you,
will love you
through days after nights
while your smile remains gentle
and your touch so firm.

Then when the storms in your eyes
threaten darkly to break, I will
defend myself, never doubt it
but I will not knowingly hurt you.
I don’t ever want to hurt you.

For it is you,
your mind, your body,
your eyes – taking what I need you to
have, but rarely know how to give you.
Your hands giving, not merely offering
but giving everything I’ve longed for and
so much more I never realized I wanted.

You, I never thought
it would be you
who would send my heart soaring again.
You who would make me love as if there
never was a time when it was not you
or it was not there at all.

A love poem is a simple poem to write and if you are thinking of poetry on Valentine's day, think of writing your own. The best thing to do is to relax first. Play some classical music and open yourself to to your emotion.

You may feel the muse takes over but if not start by jotting down things that you love about your partner. It isn't necessary to rhyme in a traditional way, only the flow of the poem is necessary. Four or five lines is enough if you find it hard to write more. The Japanese haiku was only five lines and many of these are beautiful and very moving.

A poem you write yourself will be a very special gift for your lover that will be treasured for many years to come.

Creating a Poetry Anthology

Putting together a poetry anthology can be a rewarding experience. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you get started.

Pick a Theme:

If you make a trip to your bookstore, library or perhaps your own bookshelf, you will notice that for the most part, poetry anthologies are based around one theme or another. The theme can be anything really, including "best local poets under the age of 30," or "best cowboy poetry of the latter half of the 20th Century" or something of the sort. If you are going feature your own work, then of course, you yourself are the de facto theme. Go ahead and revel in that fact for while if you like. Yourself as theme. Think of all of the people who mocked you and your poetic endeavors in the past and smile the smile of the vindicated.

Collecting Material:

Let's assume for the purposes of this article, however, that your goal is to collect the work of other poets while you await your time and place in the sun. How best to get quality material?

There are a few different ways to do so, but in this article, we are going to make the unsafe assumption that most poets these days have computers and are hooked up to the internet. What you need to do then, is to find the places that they congregate. One great place to find potential submissions is to find and join online writers and poets forums. Here, you can introduce yourself and your project and guide potential contributors to a website that you have set up describing your proposed anthology in detail along with the theme, deadline, length of the work they should send, how you prefer to receive submissions, and how and if your contributors will be compensated. For the sake of your first anthology, you should probably request material that hasn't yet been published in order to prevent copyright hassles.

Another way to gain submissions might be to place some ads in poetry or writing publications, to place fliers up at local colleges, or to ask to speak to writing groups.

Reviewing Submissions:

For the most part, your poets will probably cooperate with your request that their work exist within the theme that you have proposed, as well as work that is just not up to snuff. Make sure that you compose and send gentle rejection slips to these poets, and thank them for their work.

Occasionally, you will also come up against work that is excellent but does not fir your theme. If that happens, contact the author and request some of his or her work that does perhaps better fit the theme, and perhaps even ask to keep the first right to publish the work in your next anthology.

Printing and Binding:

Printing should be black and white, high quality laser. As far as binding goes, there are numerous options depending on the scope of your project. Some of the best poetry anthologies out there are simply saddle stitched with a couple of staples in the middle, but if you are looking to add a little class to your book, there are some better options. One style that you might want to consider is double-o or twin loop wire binding. These can use quality hard covers, and add an element of elegance. Then there is also thermal binding which is what you would find in hardcover and softcover books. The machines that do these types of binding are inexpensive and easy to use, so if you are going to be doing a lot of publishing in the future, it would make a great deal of sense to have them on hand for savings and flexibility.

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Creating a Poetry Anthology

Putting together a poetry anthology can be a rewarding experience. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you get started.

Pick a Theme:

If you make a trip to your bookstore, library or perhaps your own bookshelf, you will notice that for the most part, poetry anthologies are based around one theme or another. The theme can be anything really, including "best local poets under the age of 30," or "best cowboy poetry of the latter half of the 20th Century" or something of the sort. If you are going feature your own work, then of course, you yourself are the de facto theme. Go ahead and revel in that fact for while if you like. Yourself as theme. Think of all of the people who mocked you and your poetic endeavors in the past and smile the smile of the vindicated.

Collecting Material:

Let's assume for the purposes of this article, however, that your goal is to collect the work of other poets while you await your time and place in the sun. How best to get quality material?

There are a few different ways to do so, but in this article, we are going to make the unsafe assumption that most poets these days have computers and are hooked up to the internet. What you need to do then, is to find the places that they congregate. One great place to find potential submissions is to find and join online writers and poets forums. Here, you can introduce yourself and your project and guide potential contributors to a website that you have set up describing your proposed anthology in detail along with the theme, deadline, length of the work they should send, how you prefer to receive submissions, and how and if your contributors will be compensated. For the sake of your first anthology, you should probably request material that hasn't yet been published in order to prevent copyright hassles.

Another way to gain submissions might be to place some ads in poetry or writing publications, to place fliers up at local colleges, or to ask to speak to writing groups.

Reviewing Submissions:

For the most part, your poets will probably cooperate with your request that their work exist within the theme that you have proposed, as well as work that is just not up to snuff. Make sure that you compose and send gentle rejection slips to these poets, and thank them for their work.

Occasionally, you will also come up against work that is excellent but does not fir your theme. If that happens, contact the author and request some of his or her work that does perhaps better fit the theme, and perhaps even ask to keep the first right to publish the work in your next anthology.

Printing and Binding:

Printing should be black and white, high quality laser. As far as binding goes, there are numerous options depending on the scope of your project. Some of the best poetry anthologies out there are simply saddle stitched with a couple of staples in the middle, but if you are looking to add a little class to your book, there are some better options. One style that you might want to consider is double-o or twin loop wire binding. These can use quality hard covers, and add an element of elegance. Then there is also thermal binding which is what you would find in hardcover and softcover books. The machines that do these types of binding are inexpensive and easy to use, so if you are going to be doing a lot of publishing in the future, it would make a great deal of sense to have them on hand for savings and flexibility.