Poetry Challenge #65-I Yam What I Yam
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, 4 poems and 154 sonnets (that we know of). Of these, many of the plays and all 154 sonnets are written in iambic pentameter.
Popeye guzzled spinach from the can and sang one truly memorable song:
What do Shakespeare and Popeye have in common? “I Yam” as in I-Yam-bic Pentameter.
Iambic meaning that two-syllable soft-hard beat: “I-am” or “I-Yam”; Pentameter meaning five metrical feet, thus creating that singsong rhythm—da DA da DA da DA da DA da DA.
That pattern soft-HARD-soft-HARD-soft-HARD (like a horse gallop) is said to “fit the natural rhythms of English fairly well” in that it offers “enough structure to be memorable and enjoyable, without feeling sing-songy.”
Too, in Shakespeare’s case (and maybe Popeye’s creators, too) the words were intended to be memorize-able—as not many could read back then. And the rhythmic“I am/yam” set a jaunty beat that made memorization easier.
Image from Dan Poore’s Nov 11, 2013 post melding these two wordsmiths.
If Shakespeare and Popeye could do it, surely we can to.
Poetry Challenge #65
I Yam! Channeling Shakespeare/Popeye
Can you write a four-line rhyming stanza of iambic pentameter?
Or, in Popeye-ese, a four-lines, each one being five “I-Yam” long?
You can rhyme each pair of lines (AABB) or every other one (ABAB), whichever you choose.
Write on any subject you want or choose one of the prompts below.
I wish I could remember…
I love the smell of…
I’m waiting for…
Once you’ve got the rhythm, ala Shakespeare, try writing a complete 14-line sonnet.
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
*When you’re finished reward yourself with “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” from Kiss Me Kate.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 3200 days ago. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole dang poem. Scroll down and click on the comments!