Poems are hiding every where.  Find them.  

Find a spark.   Most of the best poems start with a great topic.   Learn to observe life.  Learn to observe people.  The famous comedian George Carlin said when he started carrying a small notebook to write down his observations about life (funny ones) it jump started his career. Remember:  record memories in your journal.

Before you write about your topic, you may want to brainstorm and write down everything that comes to your mind.  Sometimes, however, it is better to just start writing and see what comes out of your pencil.

Pictures in the Mind:  Many poem topics are about abstract ideas.  Things you can NOT see or draw in a picture.  Love, death, sorrow, happiness, prejudice, boredom, etc.  These topics can come to life if you use metaphors or symbols to talk about them.  A rose, a storm, a crackling fire, a mountain, wind, snow, a shark, a snake, etc. Also, many poems work better if you create a clear setting.  Is the narrator outside? In the country?  In a room with a fire going?  In the kitchen sitting at the breakfast table?

Outstanding Words   To write a good poem you have to take the time to go over every phrase and ask if there is a better way to say it.  Play with your words.  Rearrange the words, use different words, throw out the extra words.  Make everyword count.

Emotions    It may sound difficult, but do not be afraid to voice your exact feelings. Emotions are what make poems, and if you lie about your emotions it can be easily sensed in the poem.

Meaning   Think about what you want to achieve with your poem. What are you trying to say.  What do you want the reader to be thinking about when you are finished.  End with punch.  Save your most powerful message for the last few lines of the poem.

Don’t over rhyme, it’s a crime.  Almost all poems that win contests are free verse.   A nice technique is to rhyme two lines only, maybe at the end to give the ending punch.  But be careful.  Rhyming can be cheezy.

Listen to your poem. Read your poem out loud.  Then, have someone read it out loud to you.  Poems are meant to be read out loud.  This will help you to revise and make your poem better. 

Revise your poem. When the basic poem is written, set it aside for awhile and then read the poem out loud to yourself. Go through it line by line.   Work on your weakest lines first.  Identify which lines are the weakest and make them better or just take them out.  Replace ordinary verbs with fresh, high-energy verbs.  Don’t say “the rain fell” or “the wind blew.”  Say “the rain plunged” or “the wind attacked.”  Remove clutter.  Take out unnecessary words, phrase or lines.  Beware of saying things like, “He ran quickly to me real fast.”  Just say “He ran to me.”  It says the same thing.  Can you add more “pictures” or use a metaphor to explain what you want to say.  Change “I was so angry” with “my anger was a raging fire.”  I can SEE the raging fire.  Check your conclusion.  Does it have punch?  Does it say what you want it to say?

Get opinions. It can be hard to critique your own work, so after you've done your initial changes, try to get some friends or family members to look at your poem for you. You may not like all their suggestions, and you don't have to take any of them, but you might find some insight that will make your poem better. Feedback is good. Pass your poem around, and ask your friends to critique your work. Tell them to be honest, even if it's painful. Filter their responses, heeding and ignoring, then revise as you see fit.