The very short answer is: don't write at all unless you have to. The short answer is: in numerous different ways. A somewhat longer answer is: find way that best suits you - that comes only from experience.

But, one might reasonably ask, what different methods are there which can be tried in order to get started? Well...

Don't Wait For Inspiration But don't take that as an absolute which suggests that one should not be inspired at all. Of course, we all want inspiration. Yet if we wait to be inspired for whole poem, most of us will have taken very short answer given above and we shall write very little and very infrequently.

You probably know old adage about any form of art being ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration. It's mostly like that with poetry. The very short answer above is saying: write only when you feel moved to write and have something urgent to communicate. But don't expect inspiration to carry you through whole poem. On some occasions it will but, at least in my experience, that will not happen all that often.

Inspiration can come in various ways. At one end it can come as a complete poem; at other, it comes simply as an idea, a concept or a way of looking at something. Then poem has to be built around that in some way.

How To Build A Poem This is getting to nitty gritty of question. The answer to How do I build or write a poem depends to some extent on what you are starting with. Suppose you have just had an idea, a concept, a way of looking at something. One might, for example, have a sudden flash of inspiration that a person's life could be summarised by array of cups they have in kitchen. Okay, how might one approach development of that?

First is to have some idea of probable length of poem. The cups/life idea might be interesting but it's not going to stretch to length of The Rhyme of Ancient Mariner. It's going to be quite a short poem. In fact, with an idea of this kind short becomes very important. Trying to stretch it out will probably result in loosing any potential for impact.

So one is thinking of a few lines, and probably quite short ones. Next is syllabic or rhythmic structure of lines. A great deal can be said about these aspects and so we can say very little in this short article. The way lines are constructed should be contributing to overall impact or impression made by poem. Lines may have same number of syllables, or some lines may be long and other short. Verses, like lines may be all of same or of differing lengths. These aspects may be part of a deliberate overall scheme, or they may be due to way you feel poem should evolve. Experience will usually contribute to development of these kinds of instincts.

The poem may also be one without thyme, or with rhyme at end of each line, or with rhyming lines alternating or rhyming every third line and so forth. Alternatively, lines may have internal rhyming in that two words rhyme within same line.

Consider following poem as an example.

New Age - A Paradigm Shift to Divine Consciousness & a Universal Philosophy The New Age Movement (NAM) is a revival of spiritual and divine values and can be called as a Divine Regeneration Movement. New Age Philosophy has conquered West intellectually and Western culture is currently experiencing a phenomenal shift - sociological, spiritual & ideological. It's a secular, multi-cultural, multi-religious synthesis, of Oriental mystical philosophies, mainly Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism & Western Occultism, emphasising Holism, doctrine that Reality is organically One ( now taught in American Universities after Einstein's Theory of Relativity ). . Behind evolution of species, there is an evolution of Consciousness. The aim of Life is Self-Actualisation, to evolve to level of Unity Consciousness, defined as 7th state of Consciousness in Transcendental Philosophy.

The social disturbance caused by Vietnam War, threat posed by AIDS, disillusionment with materialistic ideas and erosion of faith in Morality & Ethics brought a sense of futility & meaninglessness in Western psyche.The limitations of Western system of Chemotherapy & adverse side-effects of antibiotics, sedatives and certain other drugs and disillusionment with promises of science & technology made millions turn to Oriental philosophies, occult practices & systems of therapy.( Interest in Alternative Medicine developed to such an extent that there are now more than 180 systems of Alternative Medicine. Exponents of New Age Philosophy in Europe and America include Transcendentalists like Thoreau, Emerson & Walt Whitman, Wordsworth, Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), , & Theosophy introduced by Madame Helena Blavatsky (1831- 1891) & Col Olcott & philosopher, Annie Besant. As world witnessed a Consciousness Revolution, Transcendental Meditation, Yoga ,Zen, Carlos Castañada, Beatles, Holistic Medicine ( both Western and Ayurveda ), Tantra, Astrology ( both Western & Vedic ) all became popular .

There are 6 million New Age sites on Web and NAM consists of a massive & well organised network consisting of thousands of groups, trusts, foundations, clubs, lodges, and spiritual groups whose goal and purpose is to prepare world to enter coming Aquarian Age. ( The Age of Aquarius ). In astrological symbolism, Aquarius represents Spirituality and Pisces Rationality. The Piscean Age, an age of Computer and Cybernetics revolution, will be followed by an Age of Consciousness Revolution or a Spiritual Revolution, Aquarian Age.

Some New Age Organisations are : California New Age Caucus, New World Alliance, World Goodwill, The Church Universal and Triumphant, The Theosophical Society, Amnesty International, Zero Population Growth, Forum, Planetary Initiative for World We Choose, Club of Rome, Church Universal & Triumphant, Christian Science, and Unity School of Christianity.

New Age believes in essential goodness of Man and Divine Spark in Man and New Age movement is not a unified cult system of beliefs and practices, even though its roots derive from Vedic Philosophy. There is no central authority, no official leader, no headquarters, nor membership list, but instead is a network of groups working toward World Peace and Universal Love. There are millions of worldwide followers of various New Age practices and world is moving from Chaos ( Disorder ) to Cosmos ( Order ) ! This is a Phase Transition from Entropy ( Disorder ) to Order !

Significant influence has been gained by NAM affecting almost every area of Occidental culture -- Sociology, Psychology, Medicine, Government, Ecology, Science, Arts, Education, Business Community, media, entertainment, sports, and even Church. Organised spiritual forms such as Christian Science, Unity and even forms of Witchcraft ( from German ' Wicca' meaning Wise; Witchcraft means Craft of Wise ) are all its expressions. Various Human Potential Seminars, Transcendental Meditation, Zen Meditation and some Alternative Holistic Medicine practices are also its manifold manifestations.

Some popular New Age publications and journals are New Age Journal, Z Files, Clarity, Body Mind Spirit, Yoga Journal, Gnosis, East West, Noetic Sciences, Millenium Being and Omega. The new tendency of people now is to view everything from a New Age perspective

The major goal of New Age Movement is to prepare Man for entering Aquarian Age and to bring world peace in an already bruised world. "All is wrong with world" said Shaw & some of other goals of NAM are to establish an entirely New World Order in fields of Economy & Government. The idea of a World Government was proposed by Bernard Shaw earlier and was implemented by Mahesh Yogi and occurs in writings of foundational apostle of New Age Movement, Alice Bailey.

The word 'Initiation" is derived from Latin "In ire" to go within and Initiates were termed by Great Master as salt of Earth. The mystic Ward defined Reality as "Within and within and within and within" . Another mystic described it as "It is hidden, it is hidden and it is hidden". To mystic, self evolution is means and only by changing and correcting ourselves can we change others . The primary goals of movement then, are to prepare world to receive Divine Consciousness and to enter Age of Aquarius, thus establishing New World Order.

New Age Philosophy believes that human evolution can be accelerated, if not in entire mass of humanity, at least in suitable individuals. Human nature is perfectible, through an intensive process of purification and Initiation.

The New Age Movement is secular & universally diffused over earth's surface & its basic underlying philosophy emphasises Gnosticism and Occultism. (Gnosticism is an ancient philosophy stating that Divine essence is highest reality, and that Self of man is actually this Essence. Behind phenomenal world is Transcendent Reality which Intuition alone can see ). It bears a remarkable resemblance to Universal Religion that H.G. Wells predicted would one day take over world.

The six main characteristics of New Age thinking are: (1) All is Unity; (2) All is Divine (3) Humanity is divine (4) A change in Consciousness; (5) All religions are One; and (6) Cosmic Evolutionary optimism. Basically Dialectical Integralism, New Age Philosophy unites both Matter and Spirit.

Spirit shall see through Matter's gaze

Matter shall reveal Spirit's face !

The 13 main principles of New Age Philosophy are: