Poetry Workshop - NICE MICE

Poets often find ideas for new poems in poems written by others. Sometimes poets will even imitate another poet's work as a way of complimenting that poet . It is as if they are saying, "I like your poem so well, I've written a variation on it."

Thus let's piggyback on Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.

Read the following poem "NICE MICE" by Jon Madian. Think about how you might rewrite this poem or create your own variations on this theme.

NICE MICE

Nice mice
Eat spice.
Throw dice.
Chew rice.
Make nice.
Slice ice.
Give advice.
Once, not twice.

Now it's your turn to write a new version of "NICE MICE!" Change any of the lines in the poem that you wish to. Here is a word bank for "ice" words that may help you.

"ICE" WORD BANK

advice
allspice
device
dice
entice
mice
nice
price
rice
sacrifice
slice
spice
splice
suffice
thrice
trice
twice
vice

Make a word bank of all the rhyming words you used in your poem.
You may wish to add other rhyming words from the original poem, as well.

Consult a rhyming dictionary to find more rhyming words for your word bank.

Take one or two lines or phrases that you particularly like from your own poem and from the original poem. Then create your own original poem about mice or about a new subject. Use some of the "ice" rhyming words.

Share your poem with a partner, friend, or with a writing support group. Decide which parts of your poem others like best. Decide which parts you like best.

Then list the ideas you and your friends have for making your poem even better.

Then revise your poem, using your own ideas and those you have received from others.

When your poem is in final form, you may want to print it out and illustrate it. (Then it would be fun for you and your friends to publish your poems in a poetry anthology!)

Or publish it here by clicking on Comments.