Paean
A paean is a song or poem of joy, praise, thanksgiving, triumph, or celebration. It may praise a victory, rescue, birth, harvest, recovery, beloved person, divine power, community, freedom, invention, place, or moment of deliverance. A paean lifts the voice upward.

A paean often includes: praise, gratitude, public or private joy, elevated tone, repetition, exclamation, address, music, and a sense of release after difficulty. It may be religious, civic, personal, communal, heroic, or playful. The poem should feel glad, thankful, victorious, or celebratory, even if it remembers hardship.

To write a paean, choose what is being praised. Decide whether the joy is loud, solemn, sacred, comic, grateful, or triumphant. Use images that rise, ring, open, shine, gather, feast, sing, or move forward. A paean should not merely say “I am happy.” It should make praise audible.

Paean for the Tow Truck

Praise the truck with its yellow light,
Praise the chain and iron hook,
Praise the driver in his muddy coat
Who knew the ditch before he looked.

Praise the gravel, praise the jack,
Praise the tire freed from clay,
Praise the engine coughing once,
Then roaring back into the day.

“Paean for the Tow Truck” follows the paean form by praising an ordinary rescue in an elevated and joyful way. The poem treats the tow truck, chain, hook, driver, gravel, jack, tire, and engine as worthy of celebration. The repeated word “Praise” gives the poem a songlike and triumphant movement.

Paean is a traditional song or poem of praise. A stricter paean may use elevated language, refrain, and public celebration. A looser WoPoLian paean may praise ordinary triumphs: a repaired sink, a passed test, a found dog, a working furnace, a clean bill of health, or a car that starts in winter.