A Lesson in IMAGERY
Whether you’ve stumbled upon this section of my website by accident, or if you zapped one of the QR codes in my latest publication, WELCOME!
IMAGERY can be a writer’s greatest tool in the kit. Packed with five powerhouse senses, this poetic device creates vibrant poetry. Use one or use them all, no matter what, let your readers see, smell, taste, touch, and hear what’s going on with their experience when reading your poems. Robert Frost—lover of all things natural and earthy—liked to tap into the sensory world with his poetry. When I read his work, I’m feeling the icy wind and warming sunshine. I smell the fresh snow, and hear the birds beckon the warmth to set spring free…
I have an entire section devoted to imagery in my workbook and a lengthy list of sensory terms for you to play with—just head back to the workbook and flip a few pages ahead.
Below are some additional sensory phrases for you to plop into the middle of your verses. I’m all about the feels—I write romance, remember? Take a peek…
SIGHT:
Shadows slid across the ground …
Lavender bells swayed in the wind …
Candy apple red lips laughed …
SCENT:
Ripe orange peels and eucalyptus permeated the hole-in-the-wall, used book store …
Warm leather and spice filled her senses as she buried her nose in his neck …
Sweet cherry blossoms shimmied on the branches scattering their perfume through the breeze …
SOUND:
The bed groaned beneath the …
Cackling laughter carried across the pitch black alley …
Her giggling led to snorts and before she knew it …
TASTE:
A ribbon of succulent peach juice trailed down the child’s chin …
Pungent scum blanketed the lifeless pond …
Blackberries and oak burst in her mouth as she swirled the sip of wine around her tongue … (if you’re a teen: tart cherries and pineapple burst in his mouth as he gulped the ice-cold drink)
TOUCH:
Warm grains of sand slid through her fingers …
The velvety blanket enveloped …
Icy wind pressed against …
Go forth, you delicious maker of satisfying poems, and craft a sensuous beauty for me. I can’t wait for you to share your poetry with me!
~Brooke E. Wayne
brookeewayne.com 
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