poetic device: Lyric & Dramatic Poems

Lyric poems, not to be confused with song lyrics, are poems in which the poet expresses his or her emotions or feelings. This is as opposed to narrative poetry, which tells a story, or descriptive poetry. which gives a detailed description of something or someone.

Dramatic poems are lyric poems that are meant to be read aloud to express the feelings and emotions of the reader.

Can you figure out what emotions the narrator is expressing in each of these lyric poems? Try reading some of these poems out loud to see if you share their emotions.

Octopus for Lunch
I Never Can Remember by Kenn Nesbitt
When’s My Birthday?
The Armpit of Doom by Kenn Nesbitt
The Armpit of Doom
A Centaur Goes Out Shopping
Help! by Kenn Nesbitt
Help!
Homework, I Love You
Don't Ever Bite Your Sister by Kenn Nesbitt
Don’t Ever Bite Your Sister
A Sad and Lonely Cyclops by Kenn Nesbitt
A Sad and Lonely Cyclops
Home for the Day
Crazy Over Vegetables by Kenn Nesbitt and Eric Herman
Crazy Over Vegetables
Calling all Kids by Kenn Nesbitt
Calling all Kids!
I'm Super Excited by Kenn Nesbitt
I’m Super Excited
I Never Want to Go to Bed
PC, PC
At History I'm Hopeless
At History I’m Hopeless
Spaghetti, Dear Spaghetti by Kenn Nesbitt
Spaghetti, Dear Spaghetti
I'b God a Code by Kenn Nesbitt
I’b God a Code
Moving to China
I'll Never Ride the Waterslide by Kenn Nesbitt
I’ll Never Ride the Waterslide
Mirror, Mirror by Linda Knaus and Kenn Nesbitt
Mirror, Mirror
Somewhere Sometime by Kenn Nesbitt
Somewhere Sometime
I Love to Read a Mystery by Kenn Nesbitt
I Love to Read a Mystery
Our Parents Are Planning a Party by Kenn Nesbitt
Our Parents Are Planning a Party
Ode on a Unicycle

Whoa There, Pardner!

Hold your horses! Kenn's the sheriff in these here parts and some of this whistle-stop is off-limits except to his deputies.

Join the posse for just one greenback a month to have the run of the place.

Become a Deputy
I've got my badge. Let me in! No thanks. I'll vamoose!