How to Write a Tide Pool Poem

A tide pool is a microcosm of sea life where creatures flash beautiful and delicate colors as they resist the pounding of the relentless sea. The rich aesthetic found in the tide pool makes it a perfect topic to write a poem about.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Visit a nearby tide pool or check out the Virtual Tide Pool online, from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Take notes on what you see, make sketches and snap a few photos so you have raw material to work from as you start to write your poem.
2. Begin with a simple idea, phrase or rhyme that occurs to you. The founding piece of the poem doesn't have to deal explicitly with the tide pool but can be a reference to the meaning of the metaphor that the tide pool presents.
3. Identify a few of the creatures, plants or rocks in the tide pool so you can be specific when you refer to these things. Mention the sea stars and sea anemones common to most tide pools. Also consider writing about more specific creatures such as limpets and sea cucumbers and the different colors and textures of rock and plant life.
4. Think about what the tide pool represents to you, whether it's a symbol of life's irony, a testament to the resilience of nature, a simple display of beauty or any other meaning that you might get from the tide pool.
5. Write your poem in a stream of consciousness style, without stopping to think. Then go back and move words and verses so that the poem fits into a structure that you like. Finally, read the poem a few times to see if your rhymes are correct (if you chose to use rhyme) and, more importantly, that you feel you gave a meaningful picture of the tide pool.