A poem is the use of words to capture a thought, idea, feeling, or emotion and communicate it to another person.
To help you write a poem about a feeling or emotion you’ve experienced, we’ve created the Dictionary of Feelings and Emotions. We’ve broken them up into two sections: when your needs are being met and when your needs are not being met.
There is no such thing as positive or negative emotions or feelings. All emotions and feelings are good because they help us to understand and communicate what we are experiencing and how our situation can be improved.
Poetry is a tool for helping us to express and process our emotions and feelings before communicating them with others.
Emotions or feelings you experience when your needs are being met:
absorbed
adventurous
affectionate
alert
alive
amazed
amused
animated
appreciative
ardent
aroused
astonished
blissful
breathless
buoyant
calm
carefree
cheerful
comfortable
complacent
composed
concerned
confident
contented
cool
curious
dazzled
delighted
eager
ebullient
ecstatic
effervescent
elated
enchanted
encouraged
energetic
engrossed
enlivened
enthusiastic
excited
exhilarated
expansive
expectant
fascinated
free
friendly
fulfilled
glad
gleeful
glorious
glowing
good-humored
grateful
gratified
happy
helpful
hopeful
inquisitive
inspired
intense
interested
intrigued
invigorated
involved
joyous, joyful
jubilant
keyed-up
loving
mellow
merry
mirthful
moved
optimistic
overjoyed
overwhelmed
peaceful
perky
pleasant
pleased
proud
quiet
radiant
rapturous
refreshed
relaxed
relieved
satisfied
secure
sensitive
serene
spellbound
splendid
stimulated
surprised
tender
thankful
thrilled
touched
tranquil
trusting
upbeat
warm
wide-awake
wonderful
zestful
Emotions or feelings you experience when your needs are not being met:
afraid
aggravated
agitated
alarmed
aloof
angry
anguished
annoyed
anxious
apathetic
apprehensive
aroused
ashamed
beat
bewildered
bitter
blah
blue
bored
brokenhearted
chagrined
cold
concerned
cool
cross
dejected
depressed
despairing
despondent
detached
disaffected
disappointed
discouraged
disenchanted
disgruntled
disgusted
disheartened
dismayed
displeased
disquieted
distressed
disturbed
downcast
downhearted
dull
edgy
embarrassed
embittered
exasperated
exhausted
fatigued
fearful
fidgety
forlorn
frightened
frustrated
furious
gloomy
guilty
harried
heavy
helpless
hesitant
horrible
horrified
hostile
hot
humdrum
hurt
impatient
indifferent
intense
irate
irked
irritated
jealous
jittery
keyed-up
lazy
leery
lethargic
listless
lonely
mad
mean
miserable
mopey
morose
mournful
nervous
nettled
numb
overwhelmed
panicky
passive
perplexed
pessimistic
puzzled
rancorous
reluctant
repelled
resentful
restless
sad
scared
sensitive
shaky
shocked
skeptical
sleepy
sorrowful
sorry
spiritless
startled
surprised
suspicious
tepid
terrified
tired
troubled
uncomfortable
unconcerned
uneasy
unglued
unhappy
unnerved
unsteady
upset
uptight
vexed
weary
wistful
withdrawn
woeful
worried
wretched
This list was taken from Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B Rosenberg, PhD, and defined by LiteraryPixie.