This “Poem About Sadness” uses a variety of poetic devices to explore the emotion. This poem could be used to teach poetic devices to high school students.
“Poem About Sadness“
By Kia West
Sometimes, sadness is sneaky
It creeps up on you
you don’t realise it’s there
Until it’s ruining your day
Turning blue skies gray
Sometimes, sadness is a freight train
It is loud and powerful
It knocks you down
And stops you from being you
Sometimes, you call this being “blue”
Sometimes, sadness is like a friend
You need it
It helps you understand yourself
And everything
Maybe it’s time to give your friend a ring?
Sometimes, let yourself feel your sadness
But don’t let it move in
It’s just an emotion
It’s not your whole life
If it takes over, tell your doctor your strife
Poetic Devices:
Rhyme
Repetition
Metaphor
Simile
Personification
Alliteration
More about this Poem About sadness…
This poem has four stanzas with five lines each. Unlike many of Kia West’s other poems, the structure of these verses is less consistent. The lines vary in the number of syllables and end in a rhyming couplet, rather than having the more common ABCB rhyme scheme. This means that the poem doesn’t flow as naturally because lacks regular rhythm.
Repetition is used throughout the poem, as each verse starts with “Sometimes”. This helps to add predictability to a poem that doesn’t have a regular rhythm.
Metaphor is when two things are compared by saying one thing is another thing. An example of metaphor in this poem is in verse two, line one:
“Sometimes, sadness is a freight train”
This comparison paints the picture of how sadness can overwhelmingly powerful, like a train physically hitting a person.
Simile is when a comparison is drawn between two things by using the words “like”, “as” or “than”. A simile can be seen in this poem in verse three, line one:
“Sometimes, sadness is like a friend”
Personification is when non-human things are given human characteristics or qualities. Personification appears throughout this poem. One example is in verse one, line two:
“It creeps up on you”
Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Alliteration can be seen in this storm poem in verse one, line one:
“Sometimes, sadness is sneaky”
Here, the “s” sound is being repeated.
Remember, feeling sad sometimes is normal, but if sadness is taking over your life or making it hard for you to do the things you normally enjoy, you should talk to your doctor. For more information, visit a reputable website like Beyond Blue.
For more poems like this one, click on the link below.