B R E A K I N G L I N E S A N D S TA N Z A S A N D
P U N C T U AT I N G
Poetry is written to be spoken. Break lines to emphasize
breaths, pauses, or silences. Break on nouns, verbs, adjectives,
and adverbs.
Try to draft in lines. When you revise, insert // between
words to create a new line break, and ============= between
lines to indicate a new stanza break. Experiment with the
size, shape, and length of lines and stanzas.
In general, punctuate and capitalize poems as if they’re
prose, but don’t be afraid to experiment with/without caps
and punctuation, either.
© 2002 by Nancie Atwell from
Lessons That Change Writers
(Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann)
Breaking Lines and Stanzas and Punctuating
Lesson 38
RAIN LULLABY
I listen to the rain
as it drizzles on our roof
and snuggle even deeper
under the warm weight of my covers.
My hands open my book,
and I begin to read.
In a moment I am lost
as the story unfolds.
Slowly, slowly, I feel
my eyelids turn to lead.
I shut my book
and turn off the light.
Already adrift
I close my eyes,
so glad to be where I am—
half asleep
in the warmth
of my bed
with the rain as my lullaby.
—Molly Jordan
© 2002 by Nancie Atwell from
Lessons That Change Writers
(Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann)
Rain Lullaby
Lesson 38
R A I N PO E M — F I RST D R A F T
As I ride home with Mom I see two
dots of light approaching. Instead of
closing my eyes as I usually do I keep
them open and see the light show the
ornaments of the sky falling, shattering
their delicacy on the windshield. I see
the decorations on the windshield drip
slowly down to the black tar below. Then
the car passes. The ornaments and decorations are put down for the season. But as
the next car comes they return.
RAI N POEM—SECON D DRAFT
As I ride home with Mom // I see two
dots of light approaching. // Instead of
closing my eyes // as I usually do // I keep
them open // and see the light show // the
ornaments of the sky falling, // shattering
their delicacy on the windshield. // I see
the decorations on the windshield drip //
slowly down to the black tar below. // Then
the car passes. // The ornaments and decorations // are put down for the season. // But as
the next car comes // they return.
© 2002 by Nancie Atwell from
Lessons That Change Writers
(Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann)
Rain Poem—First and Second Drafts
Lesson 38
REVEALING RAIN
As I ride home with Mom
two dots of light
approach.
Instead of closing my eyes
as I usually do
I watch the window
as it reveals the ornaments
of the sky falling.
The decorations on the windshield drip
to black tar below.
Then the other car passes.
The scene goes black before my eyes.
But when the next car crosses our path,
I will keep my eyes wide
for the return of the rain ornaments.
—Nora Bradford
© 2002 by Nancie Atwell from
Lessons That Change Writers
(Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann)
Revealing Rain
Lesson 38
THE MEET
Step up.
Take your mark.
Go.
I burst off the starting block,
fly through the air,
slice into the water,
and glide.
I stroke,
gasp for air,
until I’m at the end of the pool,
where I flip
and push off
as hard as I can.
The screams of the crowd
fill my ears
as I take one more breath,
reach the wall,
hit it,
WIN.
—David MacDonald
© 2002 by Nancie Atwell from
Lessons That Change Writers
(Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann)
The Meet
Lesson 38
TH E STO R M
Under gloomy gray skies hanging low
I pulled on my oilskins and climbed into the wooden skiff.
I was skeptical;
you were not.
It’ll clear up, you assured me.
So off we set.
Before even the first trap was hauled,
rain began to trickle down our cheeks
and onto the orange rubber of the oilskins.
Within a few traps
it was streaming from the sky,
lashing onto our bowed heads.
Trap after trap we hauled,
and I did my jobs mechanically as we collected our booty:
mottled brown and green lobsters.
The dog bounded along the seaweedy rocks, trying to keep up with us.
Water sloshed over the stern of the open boat.
I shivered beneath my hood.
We pulled into the dock
with numbed faces and frozen fingers.
I met my black dog under the trees on the shore
and with stiff hands tried to unbuckle my soaked life vest
as we walked to the boat shop at the top of the hill,
as the rain poured down on the blue-gray ocean.
—Annie Kass
© 2002 by Nancie Atwell from
Lessons That Change Writers
(Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann)
The Storm
Lesson 38
ABOUT LINES
“I cannot say too many
times how powerful the
techniques of line length
and line breaks are. You
cannot swing the lines
around, or fling strongsounding words, or scatter
soft ones, to no purpose.”
– Mary Oliver
A B O U T S TA N Z A S
“The main thing is to
make rooms that are
big enough to be useful,
shapely enough to be
attractive, and not so empty
as to be disappointing.”
– Ron Padgett