Write Prose Poetry

3 Parts:

Steps

Video: Write Prose Poetry

Comments

Hello and welcome to VisiHow. In this series of videos, we're exploring how to write poetry. In this video, we're going to focus on prose poetry. Prose poetry is a Harvard style consisting of the two elements that comprise its title, prose, and poetry. In order to create prose poetry, we must first identify aspects from both styles in order to combine them.

1. 1
   Prose

   :

   written in paragraphs, often covers one subject or story, has characters and narrative, includes dialog.

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   Poetry

   :

   written in verse or stanza, uses a poetic meter that defines rhythm and structure, often rhymes, focuses on images and is more ambiguous.

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   Prose poetry, a combination of the two styles

   .

   Written in paragraphs; focuses on nuances, senses, images, emotions; can include poetic meter, to give it structure and rhythm; word play; alliteration; repetition and typographical variation. It can be more ambiguous and not so bound by grammar or punctuation.

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4. 4
   Now we know what elements we need to create prose poetry

   .

   Here is an extract from Allen Ginsburg's, "A Supermarket in California." Where are we going, Walt Whitman? The doors close in a hour. Which way does your beard point tonight? (I touch your book and dream of our odyssey in the supermarket and feel absurd.) Will we walk all night through solitary streets? The trees add shade to shade, lights out in the houses, we'll both be lonely. Will we stroll dreaming of the lost America of love past blue automobiles in driveways, home to our silent cottage? Ah, dear father, graybeard, lonely old courage-teacher, what America did you have when Charon quit poling his ferry and you got out on a smoking bank and stood watching the boat disappear on the black waters of Lethe?

   

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5. 5
   As we can see in this example, the words flow poetically

   .

   When read aloud there is a sense of rhythm, and there is a more sensual, ambiguous mood than we usually find in prose. Lack of punctuation means that commas are used to give more verve and pace to the paragraphs. There is a focus on images, colors, moments, and not on narrative or explanation. Now, it's your time to shine. Think about what we have discussed and write your own prose poem. Then share them with us in the comment section below.

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
6. 6
   If you have any comments or queries about this video, you can also include them in the section below, where you will also find links to the other videos in this series on how to write poetry

   .

   You've been watching a video on how to write prose poetry. I look forward to seeing your examples and your experimentation in the section below. You've been watching VisiHow. Goodbye.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

Comments