Hyperbole poems are just
one way to include
hyperbole in your writing.

Do you enjoy writing hyperbole poems? Do you think your writing has the capability of being heads above the rest? If so, you can begin delving into other genres of writing that will readily welcome your hyperbolic creativity.

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Poetic hyperbole is easy to recognize when you understand that the term "poetry" can in fact stand for more than just the obvious definition of "poetry." There is a great variety of writing that can be likened to poetry in that it conveys a certain style, a certain rhythm, and a certain evocative nature that allows readers to be entranced by its emergence as a worthwhile art form. Hyperbole poems are not the only way to include hyperbole in your writing. The craft of writing pieces that get at this stylistic, rhythmic, evocative nature becomes easier when you realize that hyperbole poems, short stories, and even one-line jokes can become easier to write through the use of poetic hyperbole.

It may not even be writing that is eliciting the poetic feel you are aiming to achieve. You may be outside on a summer day when the heat is blistering, the pavement is boiling, and the pool is beckoning. When you jump into that pool and feel the water cascade along your skin, enmeshing every part of your being in a relieved, thankful sigh, you are in the midst of poetry. When you master the dance you have to perform in your recital, or when you finally solve an entire New York Times crossword puzzle by yourself -- that is poetry. Poetry is not just words. It is actions, emotions, and making light of the ordinary things that never seemed to matter so much until something changed about them.

Once you begin to see the poetry that exists in your own life, you are ready to begin writing hyperbole poems. Here is an example of hyperbole that comes from a favorite writer of mine, William Safire:

If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times; resist hyperbole.

The chances that someone has told another person the same thing a literal one thousand times is pretty rare. You may find parents who feel as though they have told their children to do their chores or eat their vegetables that many times, but the chances of taking someone literally in the instance of hearing that is quite small. However, everyone understands what the line means. It is hyperbole in action. The speaker is making what they consider a justified point about why the person to whom they are speaking should understand what they are saying.

Now, in this William Safire quote, he tells us to resist hyperbole. I, however, am telling you that in the case of creative writing, you can use it. Use it for hyperbole poems or short stories, or even in essay writing to spice up your narrative style. You may want to start sparingly, of course, as an overabundance of anything can come to feel like too much at times. You can find proper uses for it so that it is not overused. Finding the proper places to fit in your own poetic hyperbole can be fun, especially when writing dialogue and giving background details on characters and their quirky traits.

Remember that in some cases, hyperbole may be best understood in context. That is why your writing must make use of all the aspects that are so important to solid writing construction: characterization, plot, rhythm (for the most part in poetry), etc. If you are looking for another example of hyperbole besides the one above, look no further for a smattering of some more:

1. The cafeteria lady gave me a mountain of mashed potatoes.

2. We've been driving forever!

3. Those buildings are so high that they touch the clouds.

4. That computer is as old as the hills.

5. My eyes are heavy with sleep.

For the first one, obviously the cafeteria lady did not really give the student a whole mountain's worth of mashed potatoes. The person speaking is obviously trying to signify that she piled the potatoes quite high.

The second example is a favorite line of children on car trips, and sometimes even adults who are getting antsy! The example of hyperbole lies in the context of when this quote is recited. If it is only stated thirty minutes into a six hour car trip, the hyperbolic nature is much more evident than if it is recited only thirty minutes before the final destination is reached.

The third example of hyperbole listed above does not seem as much like hyperbole because there truly are buildings that reach the heights of what seems to be the sky. However, no buildings really touch the clouds. It would be different if an airplane was said to be touching the clouds, as airplanes really do travel through them, but that is not what the example states.

The poetic hyperbole in number four is again found in the context. If you are talking about a computer that is a mere two or three years old, or even an iPod, Kindle, or some other machine that is becoming obsolete because of the slew of advanced technology that is all around, then the context of the line begets hyperbole.

Finally, the fifth example includes hyperbole as well as a bit of personification. Eyes cannot really be heavy, but they can feel heavy when you are so tired that you cannot bear to open them. Therefore, hyperbole exists because the eyes are not really weighing the person down, and personification exists because the eyes are not human, and therefore cannot contain true weight.

Any of the above examples of hyperbole can be used in hyperbole poems that you may write. Shel Silverstein is a terrific example of a poet who writes hyperbole poems. He exaggerates much of what children do to make the point clear that someone may not want to take the garbage out, or eat their vegetables, or some other such detail.

You might also take into account that poetic hyperbole can be used alongside personification. The two of these together will make for poetic verse that captures readers' interest through the way that you can exaggerate human tendencies in non-human entities. It will add a bit of flavor to your writing if you feel you are in need of more, as it adds some imaginative flair to write something to the effect of, "The diamond ring spoke to the man and he knew that it was either now or never to buy it." In this sentence there is personification, as diamond rings do not really have the ability to speak, and there is also some poetic hyperbole, as it is not really a "now or never" situation. The man is obviously ready to give the ring to a special someone, and therefore feels he must buy it. The fact is, though, that if he came back, the ring might still be there. It is not really a "now or never" situation as he calls it. It is just a way for the man to exaggerate the reason why he must buy it at that moment.

Another example of hyperbole and personification mixed together, along the same lines of the diamond ring, would be, "The diamond ring took my breath away." In terms of personification, obviously the diamond ring does not have the power to deliver a blow to someone that would literally take their breath away. It does, however, from a hyperbolic standpoint, have the power to make someone feel wonderfully. The line might be taken to literally mean that the diamond ring made the person feel so great that they cannot live without it and must have it immediately.

Think about the way you word things throughout your day. Do you use hyperbole? How about personification? Do you ever combine the two for a more substantial literary effect on your words?

Use hyperbole to create humor and a bit of courage in your writing. Take chances and make your readers take a vested interest in your writing by making them see the intricacies of the specifics you choose to include. The writers of Lost would not have nearly the following they do without the use of some mind-bending ideas that make viewers of the show contemplate exactly what everything means. People enjoy writing that is simple, but they also yearn for creativity and pizzazz. You can deliver those to them through all of the poetic hyperbole, personification, and emotion that you choose to include in your writing. Enjoy your immersion into a world of hyperbole.

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