Poetry for Non-poets

I don't know how many of you out there are like me and enjoy writing poetry in your spare time, but it's always a fun thing to try.
You don't want to make poetry writing too over complicated because then it would be work, not poetry. Which brings us to tip #1- keep it simple. Poetry doesn't have to be long and complex; sometimes short and simple gets the job done better. Don't over think things, just let it flow.

Tip #2- Style
The style is completely up to you. If you want it to rhyme, it can rhyme, but if you don't want it to, it doesn't have to. Just choose the length of stanzas you want to let the ideas come. It doesn't matter is the poem is serious or not. Silly poems are always fun to read. Your poetry should reflect your own personal style.

Tip#3- Inspiration
If you don't know what to right about, think about what inspires you in other parts of life. Whether it's nature, your family, those defining moments in life, or whatever it may be, odds are it will inspire your poetry too.

Tip#4-Rhythm
Rhythm is always a great thing to add to poetry. It makes it more fun to read aloud and it can contribute greatly to the poem. Take Edgar Allan Poe's "The Bells." This poem has a certain rhythm that almost sounds like bells. Rhythm, it's a fun little thing, go wild with it.

Tip#5- Word Choice
One small caution: be careful not to use the same word(s) over and over again. It makes a poem sound too repetitive. The only exception to this rule is when you are using parallelism, a method of using a similar, repeating style or phrase in a poem, but only during this.

To be honest, there really is no right or wrong way to right a poem. I probably should have said that at the beginning. It would you saved you a lot of reading and me a lot of writing. Oh well. Maybe next time.