How to Write a Blues Poem

Naturally, blues poetry has its roots in music. It is a form that reaches into the experiences and histories of African Americans. The early blues poems were actually sung by slaves working out in fields. They involved a call from one person, with a response by others.

A traditional blues stanza has three lines. The first line is repeated with the second line, but you can also use a repetitive variation. Then comes the third line, which is rhyming.

Blues poetry doesn’t have to follow the traditional form—often, poems are considered blues because of their content rather than form.

The following is an excerpt from a blues poem by Carolyn Beard Whitlow.

Rockin’ a Man,

Stone Blind

Cake in the oven, clothes out on the line,

Night wind blowin’ against sweet, yellow thighs,

Two-eyed woman rockin’ a man stone blind.

The poem continues on for five more stanzas. All the stanzas have three lines, except for the last, which has four.

It is common to find lines repeating each other in a blues poem. Not only does the repetitiveness highlight ideas within the poem, but it also creates a rhythm throughout the lines.

Here is my attempt at a blues poem. Please be aware that it uses vulgar language..

A WHITE GIRL’S BLUES

Her momma told her, don't sing no more.

Her momma told her, don't you sing no more.

Poor little, poor little girl, she's only four.

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She hummed in the shower before she sang.

She hummed in the shower before she sang.

Her neighbors knocked at her door. bang bang

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She sings no more, she's always sick.

She sings no more, she's silently sick.

You think she's a daisy, easy to pick.

---

White petals and so easy to pluck.

White on the outside. Still easy to fuck.

You look at her, just her fucking luck.

---

I’m a little girl without any wings.

I’m a little girl without any wings.

I’m a woman, let me sing.

Try listening to blues music before you start writing. This will help you find the style you want to write the poem in. You can also try the structure of repetition, or from someone else’s perspective. Remember that while the blues is usually associated with a painful experience, it is also about triumph of the human spirit. You can write about your deepest sorrow, but you can also write about choosing the path away from that sorrow.

Happy writing.