Greetings and Salutations!

Narrative poems are among the oldest of forms of poetry, if not the oldest. Long before the written word was invented, people told stories to each other, often using rhyme and rhythm to help remember the story so it could be told over and over, and through the centuries, poets have been using narrative to tell a story in verse. Granted, the modern version of narrative poems can take many forms: prose poems, blank verse, free form, and many other devices can be used to convey a sense of plot and tension. Some of my favorites:

Chaucer The Canterbury Tales

Homer The Illiad

Carolyn Forché For the Stranger

Dorianne Laux Tooth Fairy (Since Dorianne is the Guest Poet at Poets.org discussion forum for the next two months, we have the rare opportunity to ask her questions about this poem.)

Your mission for this poem spark: Write a narrative poem. It doesn’t need to be long or complicated; it just needs to tell a story. Good luck!

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