How to Write an Acrostic Poem Made Easy

If you enjoy writing poetry, or if you have never written a poem before and want to try your hand at one, write an acrostic poem! Acrostic poems are easy to write and fun to read. Follow these simple steps and you can easily write your own acrostic poems.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pen
• Pencil
• Paper
• Computer
• Word Processing Program
• Spell Check
• Thesaurus
• Dictionary

1. 
    
   Write a meaningful word

   Using pen and paper or your computer, write down a meaningful word or someone's name. Start with a short word for your first poem. Don't write your word horizontally across the page like you normally would; write it vertically down the page. Let's take the word:
   C
   A
   T

2. 
    
   Tabby cat

   Think of a word you associate with the word you have chosen for your acrostic which begins with the same letter. Using our example, that letter is "C." A word that springs to mind for "Cat" is "Claws." A very simple acrostic poem can be done just with one word per line like so:
   Claws
   Attitude
   Tabby

3. Let's take our acrostic poem one step further. Think of a phrase you associate with your chosen word which begins with the same letter. Using our example, that letter is "C," so my first phrase will be: "Claws sheathed in fur."

4. Repeat step two for every letter of your acrostic poem, trying to keep a clear thought or word picture in mind. A= Attitude of a sphinx. T= Tabby rules the house
   
   Claws sheathed in fur,
   Attitude of a sphinx,
   Tabby rules the house

5. To make your acrostic word really stand out, add a space between the first letter and the rest of the phrase:
   
   C laws sheathed in fur,
   A ttitude of a sphinx,
   T abby rules the house

6. 
    
   A rhyming acrostic poem

   After you get comfortable with an easy acrostic poem, try challenging yourself to make some of the lines rhyme!
   
   C laws sheathed in fur,
   A ttitude of a sphinx --
   T abby starts to purr.

Tips & Warnings

• Now that you have the acrostic poetry knack, try writing your own acrostic poem. This cat acrostic and the Ireland one in the last step are both © Kathryn E. Darden!
• A dictionary and thesaurus are handy for alternate words and correct spelling.
• For more examples of acrostic poems, check out the Resources below!
• © 2009 Kathryn E. Darden.

Resources

• Ireland Acrostic
• Mother's Day Acrostic Poem
• Easter Acrostic
• Mermaid Acrostic Poem
• St. Patrick Acrostic Poem
• Valentine - an Acrostic Poem
• Don Knotts Acrostic
• Thanksgiving in Mayberry - Acrostic
• Thanksgiving Acrostic
• Halloween Acrostic - A Halloween Poem
• Father's Day Acrostic - a Father's Day Poem
• Poetry by Kathryn E. Darden - Poems, Tips, Poetry Workshops and More

[cb4me]

on 4/25/2009 I love acrostics!

[JeannieKerns]

on 4/20/2009 Great article :o)

[ljbinkop]

on 4/11/2009 I was not aware of Acrostic poetry. Now I am!

[lkrause2]

on 3/29/2009 Fun! My daughter is getting into poetry. I'll share with her. 5*

[kathryndarden]

on 3/23/2009 I love writing acrostic poetry. I am sure many others have done it, but I personally have never seen people put rhyme and rhythm to acrostics like I enjoy doing. I love the challenge!