How to write a nature poem

How to write a nature poem

Nature poetry brings us closer to the Earth. It reminds us of long forgotten spaces.
A forest you used to walk. A tree that offered shade. A garden which sustained you.

Nature poetry can conjure natural landscapes and invite them deep into your heart.

This is a guide to help you write nature poetry.

Let the journey begin.

Start with why you want to write about nature

Purpose is a powerful seed. It is the kernel that contains all the necessary ingredients to become great. Purpose begins with why.
Why do you want to write a poem about nature?

Do you have an outcome in mind?
It could be a river you want to protect. A beautiful landscape you want to share with other people.
A feeling you want to express like a flutter in your heart every time you see a certain bird in a forest.

What do you want the poem to say and who is it for?
I like to imagine my poetry talks directly to the Earth.
Or to the animals. I have befriended many birds in this manner.
There are many approaches to writing nature poetry. When walking by the water, I picture a person I want to share the place with.
I write the poem for them. Imagine the wonder as they see it for the first time.
This helps invite a sense of intimacy into the writing.

These questions can help determine the language and purpose of the poem.
Why does this particular poem want to come into being?

I write nature poetry because it helps me feel connected to the natural world.
Nature poetry encourages me to remember my own part in the environment.
Writing is also where and when I feel my most authentic self.
The purpose of my nature poetry is to connect more people to the land.

I want other people to experience enchantment with the Earth.
I want more people to fall in love with nature poetry.

How does your poetic purpose feed the page in front of you?

These are big questions and you do not need to know the answers. If any of them catch your attention, follow the inquiry.
But if they don’t or it feels like too much, don’t worry.
It is enough to just write.

Choose the subject of your poem

This advice applies to all poetry but let’s say your subject is a poem about nature.
Let’s say it’s a poem about a particular tree.

Take yourself to the tree. If you cannot access it physically, picture it in your mind’s eye.
This offers a way to actively engage the environment. A way to appreciate and interact with the life around you.

The subject matter offers a reason to seek out such a place and spend time with it.

I recently wrote a poem about the birds of a braided river. I carved out time and took myself to those landscapes.
By spending time there, the environment lends itself to your imagination.
This can lead to an enlivened state of observation.
From there, all you need to do is explore, witness and write down what you experience.

Become inspired with a brain storm

Give yourself permission to imagine the possibilities of what this poem could become.
If this tree could speak, what would it say?
Ignite your imagination.
Write down the ideas that emerge.
Keep your words close to the page.
There are many scrawling threads that could lead to a single line in the finished poem.

Composing poetry can be an act of meditation or prayer. Nature poetry is a way to commune with the page.
It can offer a merging of the inner landscape of the body with the physicality of the page.
Where can this be done better than in nature?

It would be absurd to look at a Rata tree and think, oh, you’d be more beautiful as a Rimu.
Nature is naturally perfect. How then can it be transcribed onto paper?

This is the journey. I cannot help but feel somewhere in the process of trying, we absorb something of the subject matter.

We too become beautiful and remember our own perfection.

Return to the place but invite your senses

Think about the place you want to write. Return to the realm of dreams. The tree is growing now.
The landscape comes alive through you.

Use your somatic senses to describe the scene.
What does this place smell like?
Fragment, stagnant, lush.
How does it feel? Taste?
Does the sun influence the light?
Do different creatures make different sounds while being here with you?

This is a type of dreaming. What stories does this place hold for you?
Is there something about this tree that only you know?

Don’t worry if the words don’t fit together like a jigsaw. Dreams are like that.
There is no right way to write a poem.
Plant a seed. Nurture a line with details. Take another step.

Carry a notebook with you and walk like the Earth can feel your footsteps

Walk like the Earth can feel your footsteps. Walk with intention, slow it down.
There is no real destination, is there?
Stop walking when you need to write.
Sit quietly and witness.

There is reciprocity with nature. The movements of your body influence the environment around you.
Move too fast, too loud and the birds will fly away at the very mention of you. The trees know you’re there too.
Being there with intention can elevate the experience. I encourage you to real spend time walking and writing. Make an occasion of it.

Describe the details

What do you notice by being there?
Are there tiny creatures?
Imagine a conversation with the things you know are there but cannot see.

Does this landscape offer sustenance to the invisible creatures?
Is there an anchor that keeps your heart connected to this place?
What emotions are moving through your body by being here?
Is there something precious and sacred to you that you can bind to a detail?

You could describe something this place has witnessed. The first flight of a baby bird. A kiss between lovers. Winter melting into Spring.

Are there layers to this landscape that you didn’t know existed?
Something that time has allowed you to see.

You can write your way into the depths of an environment.
The process of composing nature poetry can help us stay immersed in the landscape.

Write your first draft

Write. Write. Write. The poem must begin somewhere. Let it be here. Be messy. Stain the pages with dirt and mud.
Write a stanza about leaves then rub it out. Only to write it again.

The first attempt is about the feeling of writing. It’s about smudges and ideas.
Writing nature poetry is about finding the glimmers, that with enough time, could become gems.

There’s a chance it won’t be any good. That’s okay. That’s the magic of rewriting.

At this stage in my journey, I rewrite a poem between 5 and 10 times.
I have heard rumors Mary Oliver would rewrite a poem 50 times.
There are reasons the masters are masters.
But all that comes later. Just writing is enough.

Read from a space without judgement

Your poem doesn’t need to be perfect. Allow it to be exactly what it is. If its messy, let it be messy. What matters is that you enjoy writing.
It is an ongoing practice to read your own work without judgement.
I find it helps to step away from the first draft for a day or three. Then come back to it with fresh energy.

I’m trying to think of a final metaphor to sum up my love for nature poetry.
But right now, the sun is moving across my desk. I need to catch the light before it leaves.
I have my notebook with me and I want to rewrite and read in the company of trees.

Enjoy the journey.

Let’s talk again soon,
Harley.