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.

My Kitten's Unable by Kenn Nesbitt
My Kitten’s Unable
My Ice Cream Is Melting by Kenn Nesbitt
My Ice Cream Is Melting
New Year's Day Promises by Kenn Nesbitt
New Year’s Day Promises
Crash Bang Boom by Kenn Nesbitt
Crash! Bang! Boom!
I Didn’t Go Camping
Pelican
Spaghetti, Dear Spaghetti by Kenn Nesbitt
Spaghetti, Dear Spaghetti
Ice Pops, Ice Pops by Kenn Nesbitt
Ice Pops, Ice Pops
The Eggs Were All Bedeviled by Kenn Nesbitt
The Eggs Were All Bedeviled
Somewhere Sometime by Kenn Nesbitt
Somewhere Sometime
Mirror, Mirror by Linda Knaus and Kenn Nesbitt
Mirror, Mirror
Be Grateful for Your Epidermis by Kenn Nesbitt
Be Grateful for Your Epidermis
My Sister’s Pretty Picky
Our Parents Are Planning a Party by Kenn Nesbitt
Our Parents Are Planning a Party
My Favorite Food Is Broccoli
Digging for Diamonds by Kenn Nesbitt
Digging for Diamonds
Glurp the Purple Alien
My Mirror Likes to Argue
I’m Building a Rocket
An Echo in My Room
Mr. Obvious
My Dog Plays Invisible Frisbee
Sharpen Sharpen Sharpen by Kenn Nesbitt
Sharpen, Sharpen, Sharpen
My Robot’s Misbehaving

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