Writing Poems according to Form

Labor Day is Monday, September 1, 2008 and I have not written a Labor Day poem in a couple of years. I am writing one this year using a specific poetry form. I like working with poetry forms because it helps me focus on the subject and the theme of the poem.

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Internet sites dealing with poetry forms. All you do is put "poetry forms" in the search box and click Go. Your reward is page after page of sites that either discuss specific forms or give general information on forms of poetry.

I like working with new poetry forms because it stretches my skills. Writing in a new form gets me outside my comfort zone. New poetry forms exercise my muse and get me to look beyond the obvious. When I first started writing poetry, I used specific forms all the time. After I gained confidence in writing poetry, I moved beyond the form.

I am not sure just yet which form I am going to use when writing the Labor Day poem. There are so many forms to pick from; it is as much fun to choose the form as it is to write in it.