POETry prescription: IMAGERY

We use poetic devices to enhance our written work and create a deeper connection for our reader. Today, we’ll take a look at the poetic device: Imagery
 
Imagery is the use of language that evokes sensory images. Its effect is to help draw the reader into the written piece. 

​Rhyme Doctor Patricia Toht uses imagery to capture the mood inside one of London’s most visited tourist attractions – the famous Tower of London — at the end of a busy day of visitors.

Here is Patty's poem “Goodnight Tower” from the poetry collection ALL ABOARD THE LONDON BUS (illustrated by Sam Usher). 

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The sky grows dark. The hour’s late.
It’s time to lock up every gate.
Goodnight moat and massive walls,
chapels, prisons, stony halls.
Goodnight dungeon deep below
and jagged gate where waters flow.
Jewel House is safe and sound –
goodnight sceptres, orbs and crowns.
Ravens, close your beady eyes,
dream sweet dreams until you rise.
Yeoman Warder, rest your head.
Your family’s snugly tucked in bed.
A bugle sounds. A final bell.
The Tower’s locked
and all is well.

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​I don’t know about you . . . but I feel like I’ve just made the rounds through the Tower of London with the Chief Warder in the Ceremony of the Keys! (To learn more about that, check out this book and the back matter.) Patty’s use of imagery – sounds of keys jangling; descriptions of jagged gates, stony halls, massive walls, orbs, crowns, a raven with beady eyes; a lone bugle sounding in the distance and more – all of it transported me back to this most famous tourist attraction that I was lucky enough to visit many years ago! And a bonus - the lovely bedtime language lulls a young listener to sleep.

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​Can you find a way to use imagery effectively in any of your current projects? Your reader will benefit from the full sensory experience. See you next time. Happy writing!
 
by Eileen Meyer, Rhyme Doctor