What are narrative poems?

Narrative means story. So a narrative poem is a poem that tells a story.

There is often no narrative in poetry because poems are generally about thoughts or emotions, rather than stories.

But in a narrative poem the story takes centre stage. So we get a story like in a novel, but there is also rhythm and rhyme like in a poem.

Our story begins on a steep rolling hill where the giant is trying to eat lots of cheese. Alas for the grub is too big for his mouth. If he catches it now he will be so pleased.

The fast rhythm and rhyme give the narrative poem its energy. The elements that make up a poem work together with the story telling to make an exciting narrative poem.

Free verse is a poem with no set rhyme or rhythm. Chef is going to cook a free verse poem.

Free verse poems are chef's favourite…

…that’s because, much like Chef, free verse poems don't follow any obvious rules.

Instead they often follow the rhythms of natural speech.

So that's the way that we speak in everyday life with our friends and family.

While conventional poetry often has set rhyme and rhythm…

Just like that, yes - free verse doesn't.

So the main thing you need to remember when writing a free verse poem…

…is that the usual rules don't apply!

Joseph: What I love about poetry is that you can perform it anywhere.There are performance spaces all around us — in the bedroom, in the playground, on a balcony. Even from outer space.

Through poetry, I get to play with words and experiment with how I say different things.Sometimes I perform a poem loudly:“The war drums boom and shake the metal from the land.”

Sometimes I perform a poem quietly:“The tiny mouse peeks and creeps as you sleep.”

Sometimes I perform a poem quickly:“Fantastic, fireworks fizz with fiery flames.”

Or slowly:“Yeah, I was at the end of the race, about to cross the finish line.”

Or mix it up:“The rain was pattering. Then the thunder boomed! The lightning zipped, zapped, snapped. I was drenched to the bone.”

When I'm performing a poem, I like to think about the tone of the poem.Is it a happy poem or a sad poem?Is it an angry poem or a confused poem?

Thinking about emotions in this way can help make the meaning of the poem more easily understood, by making the tone clear:“The grey clouds wept a bucket of rain down on me on the stone, grey streets.”

Sometimes a poem is written in the actual voice of a character, and if so, I will think about what that character might sound like:“I am the troll that lives under the bridge. I eat all manner of things. I once ate a fridge.”

As well as using your voice, you can also use your body when performing poems.You can perform a poem sitting:“My grandad's chair was a big leather, dusty thing where coins hid down the cushions.”

Or even laying down:“Gazing up at the winter sky, I saw the snowflake fall.”

You could also use actions.Your body can help bring a poem to life.Instead of just hearing the words, a body can help an audience see the world that the words create.

I often learn a poem off by heart to free up my hands, using simple actions and gestures to highlight certain words and phrases:“I crept past a tiger, ran up a mountain, leapt over a canyon and landed in a swamp.”

It's always lovely to notice the positive in a performance — to focus on what you noticed, what stood out, what made you smile and what you remember.

Sometimes when I perform a poem, I run out of things to say about the poem.I find it helpful to keep a list of words nearby — words like:interesting, dynamic, exciting, thrilling, emotional, hard-hitting.

Growing up, I used to love putting on a show, but it took me a while to realise that you can put on a show with poetry just about anywhere.Using all your acting skills to entertain friends or even tell someone that you miss them can be a whole lot of fun.