• 100 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Concrete Poem Ideas

Subjects whose outline you can fill with words, three at a time, each with a shape to pencil first.

Concrete Poem Ideas

Show all 100
  1. A bucket with the poem inside and its handle an arch of wordsDraw first: a tub wider at the top, with an arch over it. First line: Half full of beach.
  2. An ice cream cone: a scoop of long lines over a cone that narrows to one wordDraw first: a circle on a long V. First line: Hurry, it is already leaving.
  3. A suitcase with a list poem inside and a handle that says goDraw first: a box with a small arch on top. First line: Socks, a map, a worry.

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All 100 ideas

Easy outlines 25

  • A bell with the loudest word along the bottom rim Draw first: an upside-down U with a flared edge. First line: Once for the morning.
  • A crayon with the color named only at the tip Draw first: a narrow box with a blunt cone. First line: I am what the sky ran out of.
  • A crescent moon with the lines curving along its back Draw first: two arcs that meet at both tips. First line: Thin tonight, and listening.
  • A cupcake with frosting of long looping lines over a base of short ones Draw first: a cloud shape on a small tub. First line: Somebody is one year louder.
  • A door with the poem in four panels and one word for the knob Draw first: a tall box holding four small boxes. First line: Knock.
  • A fish whose longest lines sit in the middle of its body Draw first: a pointed oval and a triangle tail. First line: Quick, before the shadow.
  • A five-point star with one short line in each arm Draw first: a star in one stroke, then the small pentagon inside. First line: Five ways out.
  • A heart with half the poem in each hump and the last word at the point Draw first: two humps that meet in a V. First line: It knocks from the inside.
  • A house with the title in the roof and one line for each floor Draw first: a square with a triangle on top. First line: Somebody left the light on.
  • A leaf with the poem written along its veins Draw first: a pointed oval and a center line. First line: I kept the whole summer.
  • A light bulb for a poem about an idea Draw first: a circle sitting on a small square. First line: It was dark, and then I thought.
  • A mitten with the thumb as one short line off to the side Draw first: a rounded arch and a small bump. First line: Four fingers share a room.
  • A mushroom with a cap of long lines and a stem of single words Draw first: a half circle on a short post. First line: Overnight, without asking anyone.
  • A pear that starts narrow and ends wide Draw first: a small circle on a big one, joined at the sides. First line: I ripen from the inside.
  • A pencil on its side, the poem running from eraser to point Draw first: a long box with a cone on one end. First line: I get shorter every time I speak.
  • A pumpkin with a line of the poem down each rib Draw first: a wide oval, a stalk and four curved ribs. First line: I got round by waiting.
  • A sailboat with one line for the hull and the rest filling the sail Draw first: a triangle over a shallow curve. First line: The wind has an opinion.
  • A slice of pizza that starts wide at the crust and ends on one word Draw first: a long triangle, crust at the top. First line: Everybody reaches at once.
  • A slice of watermelon with the seeds as single words Draw first: a half circle with a rind line. First line: Summer, cut in two.
  • A sock with the turn of the poem at the heel Draw first: a tall box that bends into a foot. First line: Where does the other one go?
  • A tent with the lines leaning in from both sides Draw first: a triangle with a slit for the door. First line: Thin walls, loud night.
  • An acorn with the title as its cap Draw first: an oval with a flat cap. First line: Inside me, a whole afternoon of shade.
  • An apple with the poem inside and one word for the stem Draw first: a circle with a dip at the top. First line: Red all the way round.
  • An egg that holds a poem about what is waiting inside Draw first: an oval, wider at the bottom. First line: Not yet, not yet.
  • An ice cream cone: a scoop of long lines over a cone that narrows to one word Draw first: a circle on a long V. First line: Hurry, it is already leaving.

Things that move 25

  • A bicycle with a short verse in each wheel and one line for the frame Draw first: two circles joined by a triangle. First line: Balance is a thing you keep doing.
  • A bouncing ball whose words follow each bounce, smaller every time Draw first: a row of arches that shrink. First line: Up is easy at first.
  • A caterpillar of round segments, one word in each, humping across the page Draw first: a row of circles that rises in the middle. First line: Front end first.
  • A falling leaf's zigzag path, with a phrase on each swing Draw first: a zigzag from top to bottom. First line: Not straight down, never straight down.
  • A flock of birds in a V, one word to a bird Draw first: a wide V of small check marks. First line: Somebody has to go first.
  • A frog's three jumps, each an arch of words, ending in a splash Draw first: three arches and a lily pad. First line: Sit. Sit. Sit. Now.
  • A hot air balloon with the poem in the bag and the goodbye in the basket Draw first: a big upside-down drop over a small box. First line: The roofs are letting go of me.
  • A jump rope turning, the poem written along the arc over the jumper Draw first: one big arc and two small handles. First line: Under, over, under.
  • A paper airplane with its flight written as a loop behind it Draw first: a narrow dart and a looping dotted trail. First line: Folded this morning, flying by noon.
  • A pendulum clock with the poem swinging left, right, left under the face Draw first: a circle, and a rod drawn in three positions. First line: Here. And here.
  • A playground slide: a ladder of single words up, one long line swooping down Draw first: a ladder and a long curve to the ground. First line: Step. Step. Step.
  • A rocket with a countdown for its lines and the last word as the flame Draw first: a tall box, a nose cone and two fins. First line: Ten is the longest second.
  • A roller coaster where the words climb slowly, then drop in one steep line Draw first: a slow hill and a steep fall. First line: Click, click, click, click.
  • A row of dominoes, each a word, the last few tipping over Draw first: upright boxes that lean more and more. First line: It only takes the first.
  • A seesaw with half the poem on each end, one side heavier Draw first: a tilted plank on a triangle. First line: I go up because you sat down.
  • A skateboard ramp where the words roll down one side and up the other Draw first: a wide U. First line: Drop in before you think.
  • A sled run: one line down a long hill, with a period at the bottom Draw first: a slope from the top corner to the bottom. First line: Nobody steers the first time.
  • A snake made of one long sentence that bends four times Draw first: one wavy pencil path with a head. First line: I am all one thought.
  • A spinning top: wide lines above, narrowing to the point it spins on Draw first: a cone on its point with a small knob. First line: I stand up only while I hurry.
  • A swing with a line of words for each rope and an arc of words beneath Draw first: a bar, two ropes and a seat. First line: Back before forward.
  • A train with a word in each car and smoke of drifting letters Draw first: a row of boxes on small wheels. First line: Every window has a different field.
  • A windmill with one line on each of its four sails Draw first: an X on top of a tall post. First line: I wait for something I cannot see.
  • A yo-yo with one word to a line down the string and the rest packed in the disc Draw first: a line from a finger to a circle. First line: Down is the easy half.
  • Bubbles rising from the bottom of the page, a word in each, bigger as they climb Draw first: circles that grow toward the top. First line: Made of one breath.
  • Footprints across the page with one word in each Draw first: pairs of ovals in a walking line. First line: Left, and the snow remembers.

Weather and nature 25

  • A cactus: a tall poem with two short arms and single letters for spines Draw first: a tall rounded post with two bent arms. First line: Do not hurry me.
  • A campfire with short hot words at the bottom and long thin ones rising Draw first: three flame tips over two crossed logs. First line: Tell it again.
  • A cloud made of soft, round words with no straight edge anywhere Draw first: five overlapping bumps and a flat base. First line: I am heavier than I look.
  • A constellation with single words as stars, joined by ruled lines in reading order Draw first: seven dots and the lines between them. First line: Join us up.
  • A daisy with one line on each petal and the title in the center Draw first: a small circle with long loops round it. First line: Open by nine, shut by dark.
  • A dandelion clock with its words blowing away to the right Draw first: a stalk and a round head of dots. First line: One breath and I am everywhere.
  • A feather with half the poem slanting off each side of the quill Draw first: a curved center line. First line: Lost by someone in a hurry.
  • A lightning bolt: three short lines that jag down the page Draw first: a zigzag with a sharp point. First line: I take the quick way.
  • A nest holding three eggs, with a word in each Draw first: a bowl of crossed short strokes. First line: Built from what was lying around.
  • A pine cone of short overlapping lines, like scales Draw first: an egg shape crossed with slanted lines. First line: I keep my seeds behind doors.
  • A rainbow with one line of the poem in each band Draw first: arcs, one inside the next. First line: The rain was not finished.
  • A scallop shell with lines fanning out from the hinge Draw first: a fan with a wavy top edge. First line: The sea folded me shut.
  • A snowflake with the same short line on all six arms Draw first: three crossed lines, like an asterisk. First line: Quiet, then quieter.
  • A spider web with lines of the poem as spokes and single words on the threads between Draw first: eight spokes from a center dot. First line: I wrote this in the night.
  • A sprouting seed with roots of words going down and a stem of words going up Draw first: a ground line with a bean on it. First line: Down first, then up.
  • A sun with the poem in the middle and one word along each ray Draw first: a circle and twelve short spokes. First line: I was up before you.
  • A sunrise: half a sun on the horizon with the lines fanning up from it Draw first: a level line and a half circle. First line: First the edges of things.
  • A thunderclap: one huge word in the middle, small quiet lines before and after Draw first: no outline; rule a big box in the center. First line: wait for it
  • A tornado: wide lines at the top twisting down to a single word Draw first: a funnel that leans. First line: Everything I meet comes with me.
  • A vine climbing the left margin, with a leaf of two words at every bend Draw first: a wavy line up the side of the page. First line: I find the way by touching.
  • A volcano with quiet lines in the cone and loud single words thrown out of the top Draw first: a triangle with its tip cut off. First line: I have been holding this in.
  • An iceberg with two lines above the water and the rest of the poem below Draw first: a small peak, a waterline and a big shape under it. First line: This is the part I show.
  • Fog: a poem whose letters get lighter and farther apart toward the end Draw first: no outline; rule faint lines, press less each row. First line: The far end of the street has gone.
  • Icicles hanging from a top line, each a few words long and a different length Draw first: a roof edge and a row of thin spikes. First line: Dripping is how I grow.
  • Wind: lines that start level and blow off the right edge of the page Draw first: three long curls, left to right. First line: You only see what I move.

Objects with a handle or a tail 25

  • A broom with one line for the handle and a fringe of short lines for bristles Draw first: a long stick and a flared skirt. First line: Under the table, a whole week.
  • A bucket with the poem inside and its handle an arch of words Draw first: a tub wider at the top, with an arch over it. First line: Half full of beach.
  • A comet with a tight head of words and a tail of one fading line Draw first: a small circle and three long streaks. First line: I am only passing.
  • A curled-up fox whose tail is a last line that wraps round the poem Draw first: an oval with a pointed face tucked in. First line: I carry my own blanket.
  • A dog whose wagging tail is the same word written three times Draw first: a dog sitting up and three short arcs. First line: You are home, you are home.
  • A frying pan with noisy words in the pan and one calm line along the handle Draw first: a circle with a long bar. First line: Sssss.
  • A guitar with the poem in its body and six words stretched up the neck Draw first: a figure eight and a long neck. First line: Hollow is how I sing.
  • A key with the title in its round head and the poem cut into its teeth Draw first: a circle, a long bar and three notches. First line: I fit one thing in the world.
  • A lizard on a wall, the poem thinning to single letters at the tail tip Draw first: a long S with four short legs. First line: Still. Still. Gone.
  • A lollipop with a round sweet poem and a stick of one plain word Draw first: a circle on a thin line. First line: Smaller every minute, and better.
  • A magnifying glass with big letters inside the lens and small ones outside Draw first: a circle with a thick handle. First line: Look closer.
  • A monkey hanging from a branch by a tail of one-word lines Draw first: a branch at the top and a long hook. First line: Upside down, the ground is a ceiling.
  • A mouse: a small round poem, two words for ears and a long last line for the tail Draw first: a teardrop on its side with two circles. First line: Nobody heard me come in.
  • A mug with the poem inside and one curved word for the handle Draw first: a box with a C on its side. First line: Hold me with both hands.
  • A paintbrush with a handle of one line and bristles that drip the last words Draw first: a long handle, a band and a soft tip. First line: I say everything in blue.
  • A peacock with a short poem for the bird and a fan of long lines behind it Draw first: a small body and a big half circle. First line: Look. No, look.
  • A spoon with the poem in the bowl and a single long line for the handle Draw first: an oval on a stick. First line: Upside down, your face.
  • A squirrel with a small poem for the body and a bigger one for the tail Draw first: a small oval and a large question mark. First line: Most of me is fluff.
  • A suitcase with a list poem inside and a handle that says go Draw first: a box with a small arch on top. First line: Socks, a map, a worry.
  • A tadpole with a round head of words and a tail that wriggles Draw first: a dot with a wavy line behind it. First line: I am not finished.
  • A teapot with the poem in its belly and steam words rising from the spout Draw first: a circle with a C on one side and an S on the other. First line: Pour the quiet out.
  • A watering can with words pouring from the spout in an arc Draw first: a box, a handle loop and a slanted spout. First line: I carry rain around.
  • A whale's tail above the water, with matching lines in its two flukes Draw first: a wide V on a thick stem, over a waterline. First line: Goodbye looks like this.
  • An umbrella with the poem under a curved top line and one word to a line down the handle Draw first: a half circle and a J. First line: Open, I am a small roof.
  • Three balloons with a verse in each and their strings tied in one word Draw first: three ovals and three lines to one point. First line: We came for the party.

How it works

Each of these 100 concrete poem ideas is a subject with an outline simple enough to fill with words. The line under it gives the shape to pencil first and a first line to keep or change.

Read the full guide

Shape poem ideas, from still to moving

Easy outlines are one closed shape: an egg, a mitten, a slice of pizza. Things that move put the words on a path, such as a frog's three jumps or a roller coaster that climbs a word at a time. Weather and nature bend the lines into rays, spokes and funnels. Objects with a handle or a tail add a part that sticks out, and the last line goes there.

Pencil the shape, then fit the words

Draw the outline lightly and rule lines across it. Write the poem on scrap paper, then copy it in: long lines where the shape is wide, single words where it narrows. Ink the words and erase the pencil, so that the words alone make the picture.

  • Count the letters in your longest line first. If it will not fit the widest part of the shape, draw the shape bigger.
  • Rotate the paper while you letter a curve, so each letter stands on its own piece of the line.

Questions and answers

What is a concrete poem?

A poem whose look on the page carries part of its meaning. Many readers now use the term for a poem whose outline shows a recognizable shape. The Academy of American Poets calls such works visual art made with words as much as poems.

What is the difference between a concrete poem and a shape poem?

In everyday use, none: both mean a poem laid out as a picture of its subject. Concrete poetry is also the name of a wider movement that began in the early 1950s, whose first poems were abstract and showed no recognizable shape.

What are good topics for a concrete poem?

Anything you can outline in a stroke or two, with one part that sticks out. A key, a tornado and a whale's tail all work, because the shape already says something about the subject before a word is read.

Can a concrete poem be read aloud?

It can, but show the page as well. The Academy of American Poets notes that a substantial amount of a concrete poem's effect would be lost on someone who only heard it.

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