Activity

Six-word Poems

How To Do It

• Tell each other a pivotal moment in your life or a funny/interesting story.
• Write it out in a short paragraph.
• Carefully select six words that retain the essence of the story. (For example, “For sale: Baby shoes, never worn”).
• Read aloud with emotions the new poem created.

Questions

1. Compare the original story you shared and wrote in paragraph format with the poem version. Do they evoke similar responses in you? Was there anything lost or gained after eliminating some of the words?
2. Do you prefer to read prose or poetry? Why?
3. How about writing, do you prefer to write prose or poetry?
4. Try to reverse the process: Start with the above six-word poem about the baby shoes, and write a short paragraph using the idea from the poem. Which one do you like better and why?