Titles: Your First Impression

I am not good at titles. I struggle with them. I ask people for help. I brainstorm. I struggle some more.

So in an effort to help me think clearly about them and maybe help you some, too, here are some thoughts on effective poem titles.

They prompt a question that the poem will answer.

I like this one. I’ve heard this said in a couple of different poetry classes, and it makes sense to me. They intrigue a reader enough to make her read the poem. Here are some examples of published poems' (not mine) titles, followed by the question they bring to mind for me:

Almost Perfect (who or what is almost perfect, and, more importantly, what’s not perfect about it?)

I Bought My Dog a Cell Phone (and then what happened?)

Whispers to the Wall (what wall, and who whispered what?)