Study poets and their poetry. Poets develop their talent and skill by emulating other poets, and by studying form and style. Poetic forms structure poems in terms of meter and rhyming patterns. Contemporary poetry is often written in free verse, which does not follow a specific meter of pattern. Practice writing in various styles to sharpen your skills and develop your facility for using language.
Keep a notebook with you during the day to jot down ideas and thoughts. Poets are inspired by events or experiences they encounter, including conversations, news events and visual or auditory experiences. A certain image or turn of phrase may suddenly pop into the poet's head; write down such thoughts and ideas as they occur. A digital voice recorder or tape recorder can work too.
Increase your vocabulary. Expand your interests; read literature, philosophy, religious works, science and history. Study the etymological origins of words and concepts.
Research the topic for the poem. For example, if you are writing about a historical event, look at the details from a variety of angles. Think of the different perspectives as cinematic images that a film editor and director may manipulate to tell a story.
Brainstorm ideas on paper. Write down thoughts, images and details that you want to include in the poem. Think of this as a painter's palette that serves as the tools and building blocks for constructing the poem.
Write a rough draft. Select a poetic form, such as a traditional rhyming and metered style, or free verse. Sketch out the basic ideas for the poem.
Read and revise the poem. Let it sit for a day or two. Reread it with a pencil in hand. Critique it in terms of form and content. Ask yourself whether the poem successfully conveys the information that you want it to, and whether the structure, words and images convey the meaning that you want to get across. Fine tune the words and images in the poem until you are satisfied with it.