"Say the most you can in the fewest words."
- Michael Carey, Poet and Teacher
We have explored the importance of poetry to people around the world. There are as many, or more, different types of poetry as there are different cultures. Regardless of how or why poetry is written, most poetry shares the use of basic concepts or "tools." In his book, Poetry: Starting from Scratch, Michael Carey offers the following piece of advice, "Say the most you can in the fewest words." Michael believes that writing poetry should begin with the basics. The following poetry "tool kit" was adapted from Michael's basic rules for writing poetry. You will also meet Tom Slack, a poet in desperate need of Michael's help. And, remember, these rules are not meant to inspire your poetry, but only to help you find your own poetic voice!
