Skip to main content

Short and Sweet Poems

Let's Hear It For Short Poems!


Sometimes a poem can prove effective even though it is short in length. As a poet I appreciate poems of every length and style, but just for today I want to focus on the short and sweet version.

A short poem needs to have some punch, and because they employ so few words, word choice is particularly important.

One of my favourite short poems comes from the late and great Spike Milligan who wrote this clever little poem:

A Silly Poem

Said Hamlet to Ophelia
I'll write a poem to thee
What kind of pencil shall I use?
2B or not 2B?

I also like Lillian Moore's poem, Red. It employs a simile in a most effective way.

Red

All day
across the way
on someone's sill
a geranium glows
red bright
like a
tiny
faraway 
traffic light

I can't imagine Shel Silverstein not having fun writing this short, but very funny poem.

Anteater
"A genuine anteater,"
The pet man told me dad.
Turned out, it was an aunt eater

And now my uncle's mad!

So now I share with you dear readers, some of the short poems gathered from my books. Hope you like them. Even though they are quite short, I hope you like them -for a LONG time.

My Pen

My pen leaks words, 
Both sharp
And sweet.
Splinters
And honey.

Spooky 

Weird, 
Bizarre,
Scary thing;
Any book by Stephen King.

Raining in Rome

It’s raining in Rome.
The morning sky,
The colour of a seagull’s wing,
Glooms above us.
Thunder mumbles
Like a brooding 
Teenager
Demanding attention.

Wandering

I wandered
Lonely as a clod.
Then noticed that my shoes were odd.
People passing in the street
Kept laughing
At my unmatched feet.

Conversation Peace
Mrs Gossipsocks never stops talking
That's why her husband
Often goes walking.

Imagine That

I dreamt I had a purple cat
Imagine that
A purple cat
Well, my dream came true 
I got a kitty
But, she’s not purple
What a pity!

LUNES: These poems are meant to be short. Eleven words in total. Three lines- 3 words, 5 words, 3 words. the last line is meant to be a surprise, or something unexpected.

Think of me, 
Diving gracefully into the lake,
Wearing pink slippers.


On the beach,
Lying languidly on a towel,
I sang opera.





Comments

  1. Loving the short burst of poetry, Allan. It may be that I am surprised my husband doesn't go walking... ;) Not gossip - but I *do* talk a lot, sometimes... #notallthetime

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mmm, Kat. Brief encounters with people and poetry seem to be the go. Glad you enjoyed the words I shared.

      Delete
  2. Lots of fun in these short poems. I don't think my students ever believed me, but I used to tell them that the shorter a piece of writing is, the harder it is to write well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kay, I think you are onto something there with your theory. It requires a degree of pithiness or substance and word brevity as well, so the pressure is on the poet to address both requirements. Glad you enjoyed the words.

      Delete
  3. You grabbed my attention with "short and sweet"—perhaps the title of my blog (Today's Little Ditty) is a clue about how I feel about short form poetry! LOVE it... and you certainly shared some great examples. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Michelle. My wife is also short and sweet, so it provides a constant reminder to write in this mode. glad you enjoyed the examples I shared.

      Delete
  4. Brevity has never been my forte, but your poems remind me how powerful it can be. Perhaps I'll push myself to write a bit less, rather than a bit more. Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed your 'brief' encounter Molly. Your personal brief is now set. You have your mission and it's short and sweet. Good luck.

      Delete
  5. These are so much fun, Alan! Like peanuts, just a few fill you up because they're so rich... but you can't stop reading because they're addictive!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A most interesting analogy Violet. Peanuts indeed. I like it. It's hard to stop at one it seems.

      Delete
  6. I don't excel at the short form, but I admire it. I did manage this one:

    Fairy Tale Clerihew

    The first of Three Little Pigs
    distained using twigs
    and built from straw.
    Big Bad Wolf laughed when he saw.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ah Brenda, you're away. Practice makes all the difference.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Fun collection
    of short poems I've
    no objection!

    They were all a treat!

    ReplyDelete
  9. written yesterday afternoon in Hobart

    at a seminar
    trying to write a lune
    thinking about dinner

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trust dinner was a winner. Your lune was in tune.

      Delete
  10. There are also short poems with universal meaning, and that are inclusive of all cultures, and so have greater impact on us: Here are a few samples:
    ROBERT FROST
    The Dog barks backward without getting up.
    I can remember when she was a pup.
    E.E. CUMMINGS
    Fog comes
    on little cat feet,
    sits looking over
    harbor and city
    on silent haunches
    and then moves on
    and moves on.
    RANDALL JARRELL: Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
    From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State,
    And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
    Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
    I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
    When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Correct Grant. These are fine examples of short verse with high impact. Thanks for sharing.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Life Cycle -A football poem by Bruce Dawe

This poem by Australian poet Bruce Dawe epitomises the unique connection sporting tragics have to their preferred football teams, -an almost tribal allegiance. Each season supporters stare down the twin imposters- victory and defeat. They remain both loyal and hopeful of eventual triumph. This poem refers specifically to Australian Rules Football, but it's themes are universal. I share this poem on the eve of the 2017 Grand Final to decide the Premiership for this football season. My team, the Richmond Tigers have reached the play off to decide the ultimate victor. They have not contested the Grand Final match for 35 years. My hopes fly with them. This poem links two of my great loves -football and poetry... Life Cycle When children are born in Victoria they are wrapped in club-colours, laid in beribboned cots, having already begun a lifetime’s barracking. Carn, they cry, Carn … feebly at first while parents playfully tussle with them for possession of a rusk: Ah, he

Poetry Friday: The Safety Pin Poem

Poets not only write poetry, they also read poetry. In order to be able to write poetry, one must read it. Lots of poetry in fact...  I want to share a short little poem by Valerie Worth. I bought Valerie's book, 'All The Small Poems And Fourteen More,' while living and working in New York, some time back. It remains a personal favourite.  I love the way the poet shines a special light on everyday objects, transforming them into something unique and worthy of attention. Her close observations elevate her poems into the special category.  Each poem in the collection celebrates earthly wonders. From eggs to garbage, from potatoes to pockets, each object is given special attention in the form of short poems employing keen observations.  Valerie Worth demonstrates through her poems she totally understands the saying-'ideas exist in things.'  The poem I have chosen to share with you (one of my personal favourites) is titled, 'Safety Pin'. S af

Opposite Poems

O pp o s ite P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not e