how to

How-tos for all things poetry; learn how to analyze a poem, construct a haiko, differentiate between a metaphor and simile and more.

Catharsis
It was one of those nights when she had drunk that "just one more" goblet of wine. The kind where she twirled into my bedroom like a dancer atop a jewelry box. Removing the comforter from my body, she would lift me to her chest, grab hold of one arm, and we would tango into the living room. Our laughter would join in harmony while she spun me dizzy. After our limbs grew tired, we would snuggle in for a movie. I could hear 'Dirty Dancing' playing. Last week it was 'Pretty Woman', and the time before that 'Sixteen Candles'.
By Nikki Torino Wagner2 months ago in Poets
Hush, Piggy. Honorable Mention in Instructions for a Feeling Challenge.
Start with the carbs. Soft mush create a plush bed, welcoming hush to coat the words that want to rush from your mouth in lush
By Judey Kalchik 2 months ago in Poets
How to Ride a Roller Coaster
First, get in line Feel the energy of others Clear your mind You keep avoiding the sensation Instead, embrace the rush of anticipation.
By Mindy Reed2 months ago in Poets
On Combatting Despair. Top Story - February 2026.
We are in the last hours of the Wood Snake year, and it shows. * The cosmic shrugs are getting longer, harder – birth contractions marking
By David Muñoz2 months ago in Poets
Instructions on how to approach being overwhelmed
A kitchen was needed for more than gastronomy It was required to have autonomy. This space was needed to calm the heart, soul and mind,
By Katherine D. Graham2 months ago in Poets
How to be elusive
Look like a goddess. Develop a terrific personality. Carry yourself like no other woman he’s ever met. Surround every emotion with guard rails.
By Daniel K2 months ago in Poets
Be
Sit or lie down. Settle in. Take a few deep breaths. Feel the rise and fall of your chest. Turn your senses inward. Be with yourself. Only you.
By Cristal S.2 months ago in Poets
Feelings Aren't Good Or Bad
Did you learn growing up that it is not okay to feel? Is it not okay to feel angry, sad, mad, or real? To reveal some disgust or loud crying.
By Denise E Lindquist2 months ago in Poets
No-one learns to sail without first lifting the anchor. Runner-Up in Instructions for a Feeling Challenge. Top Story - February 2026.
I know, you want to turn away, For me to teach you how To make walls so thick that pain accumulates Like leaves, decomposing in the external shadow.
By Hannah Moore2 months ago in Poets
Every Morning At 7:22, or 21 - I Have Used My "Head", And Now I Am A Millionaire - I Own A House, I Own A Car - I Have 10 Children, A Husband, A Wife - I Have A Life , Nothing Can Stop Me, I Am Powerful, I Am Unstoppable!
Every man loves a woman who gives him a hard time, the worst thing the best thing! The person who plays hard to get as if the person was a child waiting to feel a sense of wonder! I wished I knew what it felt like to have all the men wanting me! All the men saying you are the reason, I have woken up in the morning!? The only reason I live, The reason I will wake up, as if that made sense! All the men that said if I, only for a minute cared enough about myself I would not have a had a breakdown! A breakdown in society, a breakdown in the way every person assumes they are enough! Just a person who had no other choice but to have 40 breakdowns !
By 365poetry2 months ago in Poets
Bartender. Top Story - February 2026.
On the heels of grief, pain bears down hard. On the heels of death, pain awakens the quiet place between the end of our own life and now. Feeling anything is like seeing a film and in black and white, slow motion, all sound turned off. Just watching. Gritting teeth, awkward smiles and bloody red eyes move around, scanning the others who are feeling something I don't want to feel, but I do. Escapism is all I have ever known. ~
By ROCK aka Andrea Polla (Simmons)2 months ago in Poets
Middle-Aged Clarity
In middle age, don't burden yourself with too many "shoulds." The most exhausting thing about this stage of life isn't the responsibility of caring for aging parents and young children, but a life held hostage by countless "shoulds."
By Emily Chan - Life and love sharing2 months ago in Poets