Writing poetry... Really need help!!!?

Question:For school, my teacher is making my class write a poetry unit and Im REALLY bad at writing poetry. I need to write a ballad, an ode, 2 free verse, and an elegy. I have no idea how to write any of these things! I dont even know what my topic is!!!

Please help!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: For school, my teacher is making my class write a poetry unit and Im REALLY bad at writing poetry. I need to write a ballad, an ode, 2 free verse, and an elegy. I have no idea how to write any of these things! I dont even know what my topic is!!!

Please help!

Writingworld.com has tutorials and examples of different types of poetry. Here's the link for the ballad section: http://www.writing-world.com/poetry/ball... You can search in their site for other examples. Also, if you use Google, type: example of free verse poetry, or example of elegy poetry. That would be simpler than for me to write out all the stuff here.

I used to make this same assignment for my kids. You're teacher is not going to grade you on how well you write, but how well you follow the rules of each type of poetry. The site I gave you shows you the exact rhythm to use in your writing. You can email me for help if you want. I taught high school English for years. I'd be glad to look at your poetry before you turn it in. (Hope it's not due tomorrow! lol!)