How do you write a poem about apples?

Answer 1

It depends on what type of poem you want to write. If you don't have any specific poetic form in mind (like a haiku or a diamante for instance), you can go with free-form poetry. Whatever the form, you can just start writing down what you think about apples. The first step is brainstorming, usually:

Let's see... apples come in many varieties, green, red, yellow, sour, sweet... lots of different names for apples. Adam and Eve are said to have eaten an "apple," even though the scripture actually doesn't name the fruit. ... Apples are good for the brain. Saw a study once where they tracked different foods through the body, and apples really are brain food. Some kids eat apples when their teeth are loose to make them fall out... worked for me when I was six or so.

So then, you can fit some of these ideas into a form. Here's a haiku for starters:

Apples: Sustenance;

Knowledge of Good and Evil;

Amateur Dentists.

(The Haiku form is usually 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second, and 5 in the third.)

If you don't want a particular form, free-form poetry can be great stuff as well:

As I lean in to take a bite of my apple

(Granny Smith... perfect amount of sour, sweet, and crisp)

I remember that Eve was said to have eaten one...

Also sour. But with that perfect, sweet, crisp knowledge:

Would that I could do the same, and eat my way to understanding.

... You can see how, in each of these poems, I took some ideas that I had thrown in that brainstorming pile, and kind of pulled them out to talk about in each poem? That's how you start. And then, if you don't like one of the lines, or you think it can be improved, you go back and try to make it better as you go. Or if you don't like the poem, you can start over from scratch... that is a good thing about poetry. It is short enough that you don't have to throw away your life's work if you write a bad one.

I suggest a Haiku to start out with. They are usually the easiest way to get into a certain form, and if you are writing it for a class, the teacher might like form-based poetry rather than free-form. So, probably your best shot. If you are writing it just for you... try a lot of things, and see what you like.