Poetry Challenge #59-If The Form Fits . . .
Sometimes You Feel Like Going Commando—poetically speaking, of course. Sometimes (often in my case) some structure, foundation, form is needed.
Poetic forms are like puzzles. You need to fit the right number of syllables or a pattern of rhyme or some other word trick into your poem and still come up with a subject.
They are fun to play with—and the results can be surprising!
Poetry Challenge #59
The Form Fits!
Today’s form is the Terza Rima.
The Terza Rima, which means “third rhyme” originated in Italy. Most English examples of Terza Rima are written in iambic pentameter.
This form creates three line stanzas with lines of any length where the first and third line rhyme.
The second line becomes the rhyme for the next stanza.
Keep writing stanzas until you’re done with your poem. The last stanza should be two lines that rhyme.
If you’re better at reading rhyme scheme, it goes like this: ABA BCB CDC DED EE
Here’s an example Cindy created :
Tah-Dah! Now it’s your turn!
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
This puzzle is one from Bags of Love—a site where you can have custom puzzles made! Crazy!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge at least 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!
Want the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge sent to your email? Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl).
Poetry Challenge #57-One, Two, Three…GO!
In traditional Western storytelling, 3 is the magic number.
The hero tries 3 times before succeeding (or failing). The genie grants 3 wishes. There are 3 pigs, 3 Billy Goats Gruff, 3 stooges… so let’s go with that!
Poetry Challenge #57
One-Two-Three….GO!
For today’s prompt, write a poem with three words on each line.
Try to write ten or more lines and see where your poem goes.
If you need a starter, use: I collect…
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
Count those words! One, two, three, GO!
Find oodles of ways to celebrate WORLD READ-ALOUD DAY at LitWorld! (and your library!)
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge at least 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!
Want the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge sent to your email? Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl).
Poetry Challenge #56-Kid’s Stuff
Feb 5th is World Read Aloud Day!
Created in 2011 by LitWorld, World Read Aloud Day is a day set aside to “Bring awareness to the importance of reading aloud and sharing stories as well as advocating for literacy as a human right.”
In short an excuse to read—and get kiddos reading—in case you need one! So to celebrate World Read Aloud Day, let’s keep the fun going by using books to kick start our challenge.
Poetry Challenge #56
Kid’s Stuff
Grab the nearest picture book, turn to the last page, the last words.
Use the last line of text as the first line of your poem.
And if you’d like, use the cover illustrations below as inspiration. Let the child in you run with it and PLAY! And READ!!!
. . . and it was still hot!
. . . goodnight noises everywhere.
. . . Yes, David
And because I love having the last word:
Guess what the last words in this finny book are?
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
Find oodles of ways to celebrate WORLD READ-ALOUD DAY at LitWorld! (and your library!)
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge at least 3020 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!
Want the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge sent to your email? Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl).
Poetry Challenge #56.5-Nano-Nano
Nano-Nano! That’s alien speak for hello, goodbye, cheers…whatever. (Mork pronounced it “nanu-nanu” so that’s how it came to be known.) Robin Williams, the unpredictable, hilarious, wacky, innovative comedian, got his break as the alien Mork in the late 70’s sitcom Mork and Mindy.
I read somewhere (sorry but I can’t recall exactly where…if you know, tell me) that Williams cinched the role when he walked into the audition and sat on the couch upside down—because that’s how an alien would sit. Talk about getting into character!
Which sort of has nothing to do with this challenge, except that nano-nano came to mind when I read about an alien poetic form: Zeno.
The poetic form “Zeno” was created by children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis. Here’s what he had to say about it:
“I call the form a "zeno," so named for Zeno, the philosopher of paradoxes, especially the dichotomy paradox, according to which getting anywhere involves first getting half way there and then again halfway there, and so on ad infinitum. I'm dividing each line in half of the previous one.”-J. Patrick Lewis.
Here are two of J. Patrick Lewis’ zeno poems (or better zeno-zeno)!
Poetry Challenge #56.6
Nano-Nano Zeno-Zeno
Let’s take seven to stretch our creative muscles with a Zeno.
Zeno is a 10-line verse form with a repeating syllable count of 8,4,2,1,4,2,1,4,2,1.
With all of the one syllable words/lines rhyming.
Just for grins, title your poem “Mork.” As it’s a made up name for an alien. Let it be your inspiration to let your poem go where none has bravely gone before.
Nano-Nano! (or Nanu-Nanu, depending on your planet of origin).
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge at least 3020 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!
Want the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge sent to your email? Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl).
Poetry Challenge #55-Poem Stew
Bill Cosby (the comedian before he became the predator) was hilarious! One bit I still chuckle over (and admittedly copy) was him riffing on how his mother could turn anything into a weapon.
“But mom, it’s just a shoe…”
“Just a shoe…I’ll show you just a shoe!!!”
“But Mom… I asked for scrambled eggs?”
“You want scrambled? I’ll give you scrambled—with bacon!”
This is not a selfie…really!
Which got me chuckling about what Bill’s mom could have done with stew? or jam? or pickle?
Maybe not the weapon part,
but definitely the both a noun and a verb part.
Poetry Challenge #55
Poem Stew
Time for another poem stew! You need:
1. One noun-something you can see or touch, not capitalized if possible.
2. One noun that can also be used as a verb (like stew or pickle)
3. A color
4. A place (not capitalized),
5. An adjective (a word that describes)
6. A verb (an action—yes this absolutely can be #2)
7. One abstract noun (a word that you can’t touch that names an idea: beauty, hope, justice, chance).
Noun list to get you going:
negligee, mannequin, pink, garage sale, awkward, refrain, subterfuge
Stew on the words you’ve chosen for a bit and then mix them up into a savory—or sweet jam— poem.
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge at least 3000 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!
Want the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge sent to your email? Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl).
Poetry Challenge #54-Alphabet Jam
Sometimes—often—the most interesting things begin with “I Can’t…”
That’s exactly what I said when author/teacher/mentor/friend Tim Wynne Jones shared this prompt at a VCFA session quite a few years back. But, once I committed to giving it a try, it turned out I Could! And best, had fun! And the results were interesting. With hopes you’ll find it the same, here goes:
Poetry Challenge #54
Alphabet Jam
Plant a subject you’d like to explore in your mind. It can be as broad as “Sports” or “Weather;” it can be specific as “My tenth birthday” or “Daisy,” your choice.
Now, beginning with the letter A, work your way through the alphabet assigning one word to each letter in order: A-B-C-D…end with Z. (X is wild, or if you can use a word that begins with the “ex” sound.)
There are only 2 rules:
1. While the sequence you create might be outlandish, it must make sense—i.e. work as a sentence or series of sentences.
2. You cannot insert or delete letters.
Consider the 26 word sequence you created: Did you stick with your initial subject? Did you veer off in a different direction? Did you surprise yourself?
Lastly, keeping the words in alphabetical order, use line breaks and punctuation to shape your Alphabet Jam into a 26 word poem.
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge at least 3000 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!
Want the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge sent to your email? Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl).
Poetry Challenge #53-Shandorma Anyone?
Sometimes when you want to write a poem, it helps to use a poetic form. It helps you stretch…
Poetry Challenge #53
Shandorma Anyone?
The Shadorma is a six-line poem which originated in Spain.
A Shandorma has a fixed number of syllables on each line: 3/5/3/3/7/5. That’s it. That’s the one rule.
A Shandorma can be written about any subject. It does not need to rhyme.
You can connect many together to write a longer poem.
Here are two samples Cindy Faughnan wrote:
Now it’s your turn (and mine)!
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it. (Below is an image for inspiration.)
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge at least 3000 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!
Want the 7-Minute Poetry Challenge sent to your email? Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl).
Poetry Challenge #52-Contronym-nally Thinking
New Year’s Eve/Day being both an end and beginning, a time to look back and forward, the omega and alpha is a contronym isn’t it?
So are bolt, buckle, bill…and, in keeping with the season, trim.
When we trim our trees, we snip away bits.
When we trim our Christmas trees, we add decorations, garlands, shells and bling.
So then, what do we call it when we remove the decorations? Trim-trim or untrim?
And to keep our Christmas trees cozy, we skirt them.
I mention the tree’s skirt because it too is a contronym (and to skirt the question, of course).
If you’re not sure what a contronym is, never fear:
Note: contronyms are not homonyms, homophones, or homographs.
Now…To the Challenge!
Poetry Challenge #52
Contronym-nallity
Choose a contronym as the subject of your poem. Along with those mentioned above (and below), a simple search will unearth scores more.
Use that contronym as the title of your poem.
Explore both aspects of a contronym within one poem.
Set the timer for 7 minutes.
Start writing!
Don’t think about it too much; just do it, or don’t…
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge at least 3000 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!