Write a Colourful Simile or Metaphor poem!

A poetic and crafty way to use similes and metaphors.

When you say something is ‘similar’ to something else you mean they are very ‘like’ each other.

We use a similar word, ‘simile’ when we are writing. Similes COMPARE two things. If I were to say a flower was ‘like’ , or ‘similar to‘, or ‘as yellow as‘ the sun, I would be using a simile.

The flowers were like little suns = a simile.

The flower’s petals were as pink as Barbie’s house = a simile.

The flower petals had edges similar to saws = a simile.

If you say something IS something else, then you are using a metaphor. If I were to say the flowers are suns, I would be using a metaphor. Metaphors are a more exciting and energetic way to describe something. If I say ‘Julie is like a tiger’ it doesn’t sound quite as exciting as ‘Julie is a tiger’.

The flowers are suns, burning my eyes = a metaphor.

My heart was a bird trying to fly from my chest = a metaphor.

The market is a jungle, filled with bright and noisy people = a metaphor.

How about using colours to write some simile and metaphor short poems?

Small simile colour poems:

Pale blue

like the sky

on the horizon.

 

Orange as a

hungry baby

bird’s beak.

 

Red as a

Valentine’s Day

card shop.

 

Small metaphor colour poems:

Blue is the day

above the tree.

 

Mum’s sheets

are white tents

in the wind.

 

The air

waved with

green leaf hands.

 

Now the crafty bit!

Write your one line poems on things that are the same colour as the subject of your poem.

Here are two I have done – my ‘blue’ metaphor poem is written on blue paper. I could have drawn a blue sky as well, or stuck collage pieces of blue onto a white background and stuck the poem on top.

I have used collage on my second example -my ‘red’ simile line poem.

If you have written several simile or metaphor lines you can combine them into one poem – you might want to adjust one or more of the lines or change some of your similes into metaphors or metaphors into similes, make something singular or plural or add or take away a word:

The Colours of the Day

 

The day was

blue sky on the horizon

blue as the sky above the tree,

the flowers were suns

burning my eyes,

orange baby birds’ beaks,

and red as a Valentine’s

Day card shops,

while the air waved

with green leaf hands.

 

Notice that I have left out some of my lines. I could have called the poem ‘The Garden’ and included mum’s sheets on the line, but I wanted to keep the images to nature, so I left it out.

If I hadn’t had enough lines, I could have added more!

Read your poem out loud after you have put it together. Does it sound right? Could the rhythm be made better by removing a word or adding one?

Perhaps you think you could make the images better, by changing one of the similes or metaphors. I could have changed the white sheet line to: ‘the clouds are white as sheets in the wind’.

Have fun! Send me one! You could use similes and metaphors to write a Covid19 poem. If Covid19 was an animal, what animal would it be? If it was a type of weather, what weather would it be? What sound would it be? What type of smell? Which colour would it be?

If you write Covid19 poem, enter it for my Covid19 competition – details in the link, side bar or a few posts under this.