Poems About Death: Considerations When Writing Your Own

Most people have experienced the grief of a loved one’s passing. Death, after all, is universal. It is ubiquitous and inevitable, but dealing with the heartache left in death’s wake is complicated. Emotions arising from bereavement are complex and personal; they are a combination of feelings and memories, and communicating these complex emotions to others can be challenging. Poems about death afford us the opportunity to express, in words, what we are experiencing. Perhaps you would like to write such poetry, but need some guidance on how to begin. At the AVBOB Poetry Project, we believe in the power of the written word, which is why we would like to help you write your own.

Think About the Audience

Poems about death are cathartic because we get to say what we are experiencing. This kind of expression is different for everyone. Some write compositions directly addressing the one they are grieving for, while others focus more on telling the world how they feel. The best poems manage to breathe life into a memory that has passed, and in so doing, help them connect with the others.

Use Striking Imagery

Using descriptive language and figures of speech, such as metaphors and similes, you can convey an abstract concept with much more clarity. For example, instead of writing that you feel “down”, you could compare your emotions to a threatening storm or a dark room. This kind of imagery triggers the audience’s imagination and helps them understand precisely what you are describing.

Make Everything Meaningful

Writing for the sake of writing is excellent practice, but poems about death require one to dig a little deeper. Nobody wants to dwell on the anguish of losing a loved one, but it is precisely this grasp on suffering that makes bereavement poems so poignant. Communicating genuine pain is far more likely to engage your audience and heal your own sorrow, so make every word count.

Oversharing Is Encouraged

Even if no one else sees your piece, there is something distinctly empowering about baring your soul completely. Being honest with yourself means inking the page with everything you are afraid to say, and then embracing what is really going on inside of you. For those courageous enough to share such poems with the world, consider that it might just inspire others to be unreservedly authentic too.

Try New Forms of Poetry

If you are accustomed to writing free-verse elegies, why not consider new formats and styles? Everything, from sonnets to haikus, allows you to improve your technical skills, rhyming abilities, and vocabulary. You may even surprise yourself with the final draft.

Research Poems About Death

Just about every renowned poet has at least a few pieces exploring loss and grief. If you are seeking inspiration or ideas about where to begin with your own work, then delve into the mastery of the creative minds who wrote before you.

Whether you have been penning compositions for years or if you are just starting out, you will find comfort, meaning, and fulfilment in perfecting your craft and sharing your heart with the world. Why not give it a go?