This approach to poetry provides probationary poets with lots of support. Start with a setting. Pick a place- the city-street- backyard-beach- kitchen-  You get the idea! The use of the senses is apparent in the approach  but I suggest providing writers some choices regarding the order of the starting words, and do not make it compulsory to use all the suggested starting words. In fact, they should be encouraged to create their own opening words. It will make for greater variety and individuality. The structure is there as an initial support. I see….. I hear…. I watch…. I smell…. I enjoy….. I taste….. I want….. I wish….. I imagine……..

I recently read a newspaper account of an approach to poetry using Lego blocks used by Daniel Donahoo that was highlighted at the Emerging Writers Festival in Melbourne . Donahoo glued words to individual Lego pieces and then constructed shapes that served as 3D poetry. The poetry created is both a literate and visual art form. Donahoo photographs each word sculpture and then posts to various internet sites and venues around town. Donahoo’s first experiment with Lego poetry was to print out the words to Lewis Carroll’s ‘Jabberwocky’ and stick them on Lego blocks assembled into the shape of a large dragon like creature. As I read this I wondered where I could take the idea of three-dimensional poetry… I settled on using washed stones and combining them with the deconstruction of original poetry pieces. Because I chose to work with stones, I decided to choose short pieces of verse. Imagine working with John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost,’ you would need a truck load of gravel! A sea...