The first step to writing a poem is figuring out what you like about poetry. Check out: USA TODAY's weekly Best-selling Booklist Is it imagery? Format? Rhyme? Start by sampling a few poets.

The first-century Greek poet Lucillius was known for his mastery of the short poem format known as an epigram. He wrote more than 100 of them, usually satirizing his subject in a few witty lines.

Isabella Cotier By A.O. Scott Let’s talk about love. That’s what the people in this poem seem to be doing. The author and her friend, a scholar, are debating the crushworthiness of a certain ...