There are so many extraordinary tools we have at our disposal, as poets. We have words, we have emotions, we have passions, we have the power of persuasion, and we have the need to write. While passion may push us to the page, once there, we need to utilize the tools of our trade. We need, in other words, to know what makes a poem a poem, and apply that knowledge to creating the poem.
One of my favorite tools is the alliteration. Alliteration is, “the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.”
Examples:
“She sang a song of sorrow
Softy to the stars
Surrounded by the moonlight
Shining brightly on her scars…”
“How hard a hold life has
On us how heavy is the load…”
“The morning moved like honey
Over the mountains and hills…”
Alliteration is always available to you and allows you to add something extra, something compelling to your poem. Alliteration adds a musical component, a rhythmic component and often is the allure that draws us from one line to the next, giving the poem a kind of road map that shows us the way. Writing poetry is about words coming together in special and meaningful ways. Using alliteration is one way to elevate and expand the energy of your poem.