Writing an Acrostic Poem

An acrostic poem is a poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word or phrase (vertically) that the poem describes. Here’s an example of a simple acrostic poem:

Loons and laughter,

A boat, water, and sand,

Kicking back, day and night—

Except for the mosquitoes,

Summer’s perfect escape.

I chose to write about “lakes” because it’s one of my favorite places to go in the summer. It’s a feel-good word for me and a reminder that the cold of Minnesota will soon pass.

Acrostics can do that to you—inspire you—but that’s not all.

Writing an acrostic poem is…

1. A welcome break from a writing project that

2. Can lead to more writing projects as you

3. Research and think about a subject

4. Or just unleash what’s on your mind.

5. So much more, including a useful

6. Teaching tool for children and an

7. Invigorating conversation starter,

8. Concluding, potentially, with a publishable piece.

Mostly, though, writing acrostic poetry is just plain fun.  If you’ve never written an acrostic, it’s not hard to do. Just start with a subject and write the word or words vertically. Then jot down descriptions and ideas about the subject. Next, put it all other. Use the letters of your subject along with your descriptions to tell a story. Acrostic poems don’t usually rhyme, but they do flow like poetry.

Give an acrostic poem a try—and enjoy all the benefits of this simple, inspiring activity.

Note: FanStory is accepting acrostic poems for their May Acrostic Poetry contest. Deadline is May 18, 2013.

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