How to Write Bad Poetry

Writing poetry is fun but writing it badly is easy. As time goes on, poems are often seen in a different light. The best example, and most noteworthy, is Emily Dickinson's poetry. Her poems were largely unseen during her life and sometimes even ridiculed by others. However, after her death, her poetry received much notoriety. Nonetheless, the important elements of a poem have not change for centuries. Rhythm, word choice, and emotions are all musts in every poem.

Rhythm
Rhythm is one of the most important elements of every poem. Even poetry such as dada use some sort of rhythm approach. Going back to Shakespeare, his poems often used iambic-pentameter to control his writings. If your choice of style is free-verse, still make it flow. A great way to do this is count the syllables in each line. You can also try utilizing one of the many meter patterns. When your poem is finished, be sure to read it aloud.

Word choice
Using the wrong word in specific circumstance can ruin an otherwise great poem. Words can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. You don't necessarily have to use large words or even use a thesaurus. Just be descriptive or metaphorical while allowing the reader to relate to the overall writing.

Emotion
A poem can be about trees and still have emotion. One way to use the reader to your advantage is to change the rhythm or rhyme at a specific point in which you want to change the emotion of the reader. For example, speeding up the syllables can cause excitement. Otherwise, specific words can cause specific feelings in the reader. Words such as 'crept' can cause a creepy or eerie feeling.

To write a bad poem, just do the opposite of what I said. Don't hold a rhythm, use the 'wrong' words, and don't show emotion.