I’m excited to share a new piece of Word Wandering—a form of word play poetry inspired by the brilliant concept developed by author and poet, Nikki Grimes and featured on Today’s Little Ditty. This particular poem took shape quite spontaneously while I was on a recent, restorative vacation in Carmel, California. The environment there proved to be an irresistible catalyst for creation.
What is a Word Play Poem?
Nikki Grimes talks about “studying one word from top to bottom, and inside out, considering every aspect of the word.” What does the word look like, sound like, feel like? How many ways can the word be used? Nikki reminds us that “wordplay is a valuable skill in the process of creating dynamic, original poetry, or lyrical prose.” There are many formats and ways in which these poems can be written. Some great examples are included in the Best of Today’s Little Ditty, 2014-2105 and online at author/poet Laura Purdie Salas’ website.
Here’s my wordplay poem:
Wave is a Greeting Word
Wave is a greeting word,
a meeting word.
A hello and a goodbye—
a "handy" gesture.
Wave is a crashing word,
a smashing word.
Racing to chase footprints
from a sandy canvass.
Wave is a curly word,
a swirly word.
S-shaped tresses,
petal soft on a child's cheek.
Wave (isn't) a hear word,
an ear word—
but a sound measured in vibrations
in one second flat.
©Danna Smith 2025 at poetrypop.com. All Rights reserved.
Read more of my word play poems here
poetry challenge
I invite you to grab your Poetry Pop Notebook and take the challenge to write a wordplay poem. If you’d like, please leave your poem below in the comments below so we can all celebrate this challenge and the love of words!
Thanks for popping in
If you enjoy Poetry Pop, please share the love with your friends, family, and teachers using the buttons below. I am growing my site and always appreciate a shoutout. And as always, thank you for following the blog for a little pop of poetry in your day!
One thought on “Write Your Own Word Play Poem Challenge”