Copyright: J.B. Conway

Last week, I introduced you to the idea of writing poetry in the name of Disney. For National Poetry Month, I thought it was fitting to spend a bit of time exploring different types of poetry. Poetry is a great way for children and adults to express their love for the House of Mouse using the power of words.

In my first segment, I introduced acrostic poems. I wrote one about me, and also shared a hidden acrostic poem that is within Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass. Acrostic poems are a way to get into the poetry groove, to learn about people/places/things, and to have fun. The best part about acrostic poems is that there really are no rules.

Another unique type is poem is called the cinquain. A cinquain is a simple poem of five lines. The lines do not rhyme, but they do follow a pattern. These are the rules for a cinquain:

Line 1 – 1 word topic, a noun

Line 2 – 2 words describing topic, adjectives

Line 3 – 3 words of action, verbs

Line 4 – 4 words expressing feelings about topic

Line 5 – 1 word synonym for topic

Do you see why a teacher might like cinquain? This is the perfect opportunity to sneak in a lesson about parts of speech or to reinforce/review it with students. Of course, when put into action through a cinquain, most kids will not complain. So here is my example:

Goofy

Funny, klutzy,

laughing, joking, smiling

Makes Chef Mickey comical

Wacky.

Here is one that my seven year old son, NHL, wrote:

Dumbo

Jumbo, grey,

Flying, soaring, gliding

Holds a bird feather

Elephant.

As you can see, cinquain poems are forgiving, fun, and pack a lot in a few lines. Imagine starting a poetry journal during a trip to Disney. Allow your child to draw or take photos to accompany their poetry collection. While wandering around the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, or any other Disney destination the subject matters are endless. Not heading to Disney for a while? No worries. Take out some photos from your last Disney vacation and brainstorm on what you would like to write about in the picture. Once again, poetry can help you to relive magical memories.

Within the DDL community, you may be familiar with Mouse of Zen . J.B. Conway, also known as NDD27, has shown us the beauty of the Haiku. Haiku is a type of poetry that comes from Japan and tries to capture one beautiful thought or scene. Each haiku has only three lines, does not rhyme, and has a 5/7/5 syllable pattern. Each Sunday, J.B. shares his artistry on DDL with Mouse of Zen. In these posts, we see the beauty of  haiku through the eyes of a Disney poet. His book, shown above, is a Disney Poetry book that has been published for fans to appreciate his mouse-sized poetry.

Take a little time and channel your inner Disney poet and be sure to share your creative pieces below. Have fun!

Contributed by: Beth L. (NDM#183) Beth is the DDL Education Blogger. She is also the creator of The Angel Forever.

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