by Violet Nesdoly
Remember these lines? You probably read them in school.
“We have a secret, just we three,
The robin, and I, and the sweet cherry tree;
The bird told the tree and the tree told me,
And nobody knows it but just we three…” (1)
Poems, like stories, are wonderful vehicles for telling secrets. Not only can poems be about secrets (like the poem above) but they are a potent way to share your experiences and ideas in subtle yet powerful ways.
In researching secrets, I searched for synonyms of the word “secret.” There are many. As I pondered the list from dictionary.com, some synonyms for secret as an adjective jumped out at me as great descriptors of how various kinds of poetry can be used to communicate secrets.
Cryptic (mysterious, puzzling, ambiguous)
Some poems are just plain puzzling. They hide their secrets well. However, there is also a form poem, the Acrostic, which is a word puzzle.
A common type of acrostic is a poem in which the first letter of each line is part of a word. It can be read down the page.
Here is an acrostic I wrote in 2013 after a friend had one.
Cerebrovascular Accident (2)
Secretive, sneaky, unexpected and silent
Taking things to which you never gave a thought
things you never thought you’d lose …
Reach, hug, walk
read, write, talk
Only blurry memories now
your mute self
Kept captive, confused within your betrayal of a body
awaiting prognosis of the next
Electrocardiogram, CT, MRI
lab report, doctor, therapist
My friend had a __ __ __ __ __ __ .
Camouflaged (concealed by some means)
One of the characteristics of the English language is its wealth of words that can sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings (homonyms). This idiosyncrasy has given rise to a fun poem form, the “homophoem,” which could be used to relay a hidden message or second meaning (double entendre). Of course, homonym-dependent poems must be read with the eye as well as heard with the ear to divulge their secrets.
Here are a two homophoems I wrote some years ago.
Busted
I snuck some cookies
ate them in bed
Mom found the crumbs
my face was read.
Political Forecast
Threats, rocks and bullets
are pelting Ukraine.
Political forecast:
more Russian reign.
(The above written in 2014 – how things haven’t changed!)
Veiled (not openly or directly expressed, masked, disguised)
Personal poetry is often written to convey secrets about poets and their lives. Writing personal poetry can be tricky. One needs to strike a balance between saying enough versus too much. That’s probably why personal poems often suggest and imply using literary devices like similes, metaphors and connotative word choices.
“Mocking Bassinet” is a poem I wrote about a traumatic event I experienced. Though I didn’t name it, I’m sure you can gather what I was referring to:
O Mocking Bassinet
O mocking bassinet
and now unneeded treasure
hoard of pink and blue,
I cannot look at you.
O mutinous organ,
inhospitable home
full of treachery and betrayal,
Why expel this tiny
life most loved?
O unrefreshing rain
of tears and blood
Fill up my heart’s black
bottomless void –
All that is left
of motherhood. (3)
Symbolic (a material object representing something, often something immaterial; symbols can be used to represent hidden meanings, emotions or ideas).
Though a close relative of metaphor, symbols also have an iconic weight. When used well, they may help the reader interpret the poem on a deeper level.
I used a symbol in a poem I wrote about my husband losing his job. Here are the last four lines:
“…And then more business, spring—I dropped despair.
The date they gave him passed. We’ll be alright?
Till yesterday—the car door slams, he walks
With office things, like ashes, In a box.” (4)
These are just a few ways you might convey secrets in your poetry. I’m sure you can think of more.
As a fun exercise, try writing a personal “Where I Am From” poem (original by George Ella Lyons) by filling in THIS TEMPLATE. (5) Be sure to allude to a few secrets from your life!
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1] “The Secret” by Anonymous, from The Golden Book of Poetry, 1947 < https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42912/the-secret-56d2219131cd4 > last accessed June 21, 2025
2] Please forgive me for using my own poems as examples, but I know them well and don’t need to ask permission to publish!
3] ‘O Mocking Bassinet,” Nesdoly, Violet (2004). Calendar, Sparrow Song Press, p. 24.
4] “Corporate Cuts,” Nesdoly, Violet (2007). Family Reunion, Utmost Christian Writers, p. 37.
5] When selected the hyperlinked words “THIS TEMPLATE” will download a “Where I Am From” template in pdf format onto device from the following URL:
by Violet Nesdoly
Violet Nesdoly lives in Langley, B.C. She has been a poetry columnist and editor, had poetry and prose published in print and online, and authored articles for children, adults, and two novels. Besides writing she enjoys making art, reading, and walking local nature trails with camera in hand.