How can I write a good English poem?

Becoming a poet Writing poetry involves not just scribbling in a notebook, but also undertaking a way of life, one in which you value being creative and sensitive. To write good poetry, work to do the following:
Discover as much as you can about the poetic craft. Read lots of poetry. Meet other poets. Become part of a poetic community. Get a mentor who will guide you. Attend readings and workshops. Take writing classes. Become as sensitive as you can, both to life and to language. Figure out your personal sense of what is beautiful — both in life and in poetry. Think divergently (that is, keep your mind open and nimble, and be willing to think in different ways and new directions). You never know when, where, or how inspiration will come to you, but you can prepare the way for it. Make time for yourself to write. After all, if you don't write, you're not a writer. Be disciplined. Rewrite your poetry again and again. Don't settle for using clichés or other people's language. The idea is to find out what kind of poetry only you can write.http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-1747.html

I agree totally with the above. This is a good site for a genuine poet, not for those who would like to make up an assignments just in time. I would like to add the most important thing, to my mind, FEELINGS, AND THE URGE TO WRITE.

Feelings is what poems are about. Poets are people who have the urge to express their feelings in writing. Poems are always about feelings, whereas articles and essays can be very descriptive and analytical. If you don't feel anything or lack the urge, you can't write. 靈感一到，想寫才寫到，唔係諗極都唔掂。

Forget the rhymes and other technical things. Don't rhyme for rhyming's sake. Don't be restricted by the so called techniques. Feel free to express yourself.

From my personal experience, you need to be exposed to enough poetry, old and new, before trying your hand. The first few poems are always difficult to write, and you often fear what other people think. Be prepared to feel embarrassed when they read your poems. Be prepared for some harsh criticism, but after a while, when you have written quite a no. of poems, and have learned the gist, everything will turn out fine.

Finally, post your poems on forums or here at Yahoo Knowledge and ask for opinions. Good luck.

What's pink?A rose's pink,
By Roma's fountain's steep brink.
What's red?A poppy's red,
In Chinese opium poppy's bed.
What's blue?The BF face's blue,
Where coolings float thro'.
What's white?Her face's white,
Killing in the night.
What's yellow?Chings are faced-yellow,
Poor and unwanted fellow !
What's orange"Why an orange;
Strawberry,apple,orange;
Or another orange
Just an orange !

Writing English poems is not really hard. First of all, of course, you need to know a lot of English words and good grammar. Knowing a lot of words will help you choose the correct word when writing a poem.


Some poem have patterns and rhythm, but some don't. Here's an example of a poem I've learned from creative writing class:
Ana ate apple.
Bug bothers bear.
Cece caught cat.
Don don't dig.
etc....
This one is called "alphabet poem". Each word in the line has to start with the same letter, and the letters have to go with the same order as the alphabet. For example, the first letter of the alphabet is "A", so the words of the first line has to start with "A".


Here's a poem that has a rhythm:
I stared at the sky,
Thinking about why,
Why is he cool,
And why his face's blue.
But when the teacher passed by,
I found out that an hour had gone by.

Those poems have rhythm like these:
1) da da da da da
2) da da da da - da
3) da - da da da - da
4) da da da da - da - da
5) da da da - da - da
etc.....


Last, you really need to have creativity to write poems. You can write anything that you want, but it would be best if you write something you know really well (for example: your hobby).