The background experiences of the rural student provide a wealth of ideas that can be expressed through poetry writing. Poetry forms which can be taught in the language arts class, or throughout the curriculum are: (1) the couplet, which contains two lines with ending words rhyming; (2) the triplet, which contains three lines with all ending words rhyming; (3) the quatrain, which contains four lines with diverse patterns of ending words rhyming such as line one with line three and line two with line four; (4) limericks, which have one set of rhymes for lines one, two, and five, and a different set of rhymes for lines three and four; (5) haiku, which has five, seven, five syllables respectively for its three lines; and (6) the tanka, which has a 5-7-4-7-7 progression of syllables per line, making a five-line poem. Language arts instruction for rural students should emphasize creativity. Creativity brings new ideas to modify, change, and improve the societal arena. As achievement progresses, students may wish to add alliteration, onomatopoeia, metaphors, and similes within a poem. (KS)