Teeny Tiny Poetry: Prompts for Writing (and Sharing) Outside

Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful. — Rita Dove

What’s a Teeny Tiny (or Small) Poem anyway? Educator Kevin Hodgson says that it is a short poem, like a haiku or couplet or free verse, of just a few lines. He stresses that rhymes are optional. What a small poem looks like and sounds like is up to the poet!

In these following two writing sparks, you’ll learn a couple of ways to make – and share! – teeny tiny poems a part of your daily life through photographic prompts and a simple and fun craft project. Give yourself freedom to experiment, play, and write tiny.

Writing “Sparks”

Spark from writer Kate Hill Cantrill– Grab your tea and meet me on the porch to write and share tiny poems!

Content focus: Very short poem writing and sharing
Age-level recommendations: All ages
Time: Video 2:38; project 5-30 minutes

So you’ve written some great teeny tiny poems. Now what? In this spark, writer Kate Hill Cantrill shows you a fun way to turn your teeny tiny poems into teeny tiny gifts by crafting them into tea bag tags! Grab your construction paper, scissors and colored markers and meet her outside on the porch to craft! (Oh, and don’t forget your tea bags!)

Additional visual info on how to make Poet-teas:

Spark from educator Kevin Hodgson – Collaborate by making a small poetry/photo book together!

Content focus: Very short poem writing and sharing
Age-level recommendations: All ages
Time: 5-30 minutes

Kevin Hodgson invites you to share small poems, alongside a single photograph, with each other in your community. Go for a walk in nature and find out which type of poet you are. Are you one who takes a photo first and that photo inspires your poem? Or are you one who writes a poem first and then looks around to find something to photograph to accompany your poem? There are no rules with these tiny poems beyond: use your true poet’s voice and have fun!

Here is an example from Write Out 2022 gathered by writers from all over the country:

Here is an editable template so you can make your own.

More about small-short-tiny poetry

Below are related resources gathered to further support inquiry and exploration of this topic. If you have additional resources to recommend, please share them online via the hashtag #writeout

Cinquan: The cinquain, also known as a quintain or quintet, is a poem or stanza composed of five lines. Learn more via Poets.org.

Haiku: A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often focusing on images from nature, haiku emphasizes simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression. Learn more via Poets.org.

Free Verse: Free verse is poetry not dictated by an established form or meter and often influenced by the rhythms of speech. Learn more via Poets.org and a find a resource on how to write free verse poetry from Writers.com.

Couplet: A couplet is two successive lines of poetry, often rhymed. Learn more via poets.org.