Numbered Poems

This month I thought we might do something different and fun. I want you to write an 81 word poem with one word on the first line, two words on the second line, three words on the third line and so forth. You will end up with 17 lines total. The lines can rhyme or not. It doesn’t matter. Your poem should tell a story or give us a glimpse into something.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A DOG AND CAT

Dog (1)
has fleas (2)
making him itchy (3)
causing him to bark, (4)
and bark, bark, and bark (5)
only after playing in the hay (6)
and then chasing Cat up a tree. (7)
When night comes you’ll find Dog and Cat (8)
snuggled with each other under the soft comfy covers (9)
dreaming of bones, and mice, and goodies galore. (8)
And as the new day breaks early, (7)
Dog stretches and yawns, Cat purrs (6)
both ready to go out (5)
and start everything over (4)
again and again. (3)
Dog has (2)
fleas (1)

There’s no end to the variations you can do with this: Alternating the number of words per line. 6,7,8,1,2,3,6,7,8 You get the idea.

Email me your poems. I would love to share them on my website.

Darlo Gemeinhardt writes middle grade novels. She believes that there is a story in every dog. In her spare time she takes care of 1 husband (of 40 years), 29 dogs and trains with TALLAO, K-9 SEARCH AND RESCUE. Visit her at From the dog pen.com