poetic device: Repetition

Repetition in poetry is when you repeat individual words, phrases, lines, or entire stanzas throughout the poem. Repetition gives extra strength or emphasis to the idea being repeated.

For example, you might start all of many of the lines of a poem with the same words, such as “I’ll never” or “I can’t wait for.” Or you might repeat a single line more than once to emphasize the point, as in the ending of Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” You can even repeat an entire stanza more than once; this is called a chorus or a refrain.

If you would like to write your own repetition poems, read this fun poetry-writing lesson.

All of these poems include repetition. Read a few and see if you like repetition in poems.

Spaghetti, Dear Spaghetti by Kenn Nesbitt
Spaghetti, Dear Spaghetti
Mirror, Mirror by Linda Knaus and Kenn Nesbitt
Mirror, Mirror
Somewhere Sometime by Kenn Nesbitt
Somewhere Sometime
The Eggs Were All Bedeviled by Kenn Nesbitt
The Eggs Were All Bedeviled
My Sister’s Pretty Picky
My Favorite Food Is Broccoli
Digging for Diamonds by Kenn Nesbitt
Digging for Diamonds
I'm Glad that I'm Me by Kenn Nesbitt
I’m Glad to Be Me
My Mirror Likes to Argue
I’m Building a Rocket
Glurp the Purple Alien
Mr. Obvious
An Echo in My Room
My Dog Plays Invisible Frisbee
Sharpen Sharpen Sharpen by Kenn Nesbitt
Sharpen, Sharpen, Sharpen
My Robot’s Misbehaving
A Sheep is Asleep On My Sofa
Bigfoot’s Bewilderment
My Kitty Likes My Goldfish by Kenn Nesbitt
My Kitty Likes My Goldfish
The All-Bean Diet
Bouncing Off the Windows
Be Grateful for Your Epidermis by Kenn Nesbitt
Be Grateful for Your Epidermis
Emilio, Emilio
My Dog’s Name Is “Cat”