Many years ago I read a wonderful and quite clever poem by Spike Milligan. It was a rather short poem, and it has stuck with me ever since...
Said Hamlet To Ophelia
Said Hamlet to Ophelia,
I'll draw a sketch of thee.
What kind of pencil shall I use?
2B or not 2B?
Spike Milligan
I have always enjoyed the challenge of writing short, pithy poems, ever since encountering Spike's poem. Here are a few examples of short form poetry. They are no less challenging than a longer poem. The economy of words means you have to make sure every single word pulls its weight. There's nowhere for any words to hide. I encourage anyone holding, within, a desire to write short, pithy poetry to join in and have some fun with this short form poetry...
You Have Risen In My Estimates
You have risen in my estimates
You are now at 37
That’s a significant improvement
-You started at 11
Alan j Wright
Haiku Huffiness
Haikus get huffy
When you don’t play by the rules
Watch…
If the
humble snail
Was equipped
with a sail
It would
surely move faster
-without
fail.
Alan j Wright
Meltdown
My sister
Threw a tantrum once…
It struck the wall
Bounced down the stairs
And knocked the cat over.
Alan j Wright
So much love for short form poetry, that builds writing muscles, puts the spotlight on vocabulary, and creativity and very often prompts a smile. No surprises as to which one's my favourite, Al. Sails for Snails!
ReplyDeleteFind myself in fierce agreement Kat. Glad the snail didn't fail.
DeleteYou are right it’s such fun
ReplyDeleteWith the rain or the sun
You are right , you’re so right
You can’t help bring Wright
Love the inventiveness of your response.
Delete*****being ****
ReplyDeleteGot it.
DeleteThese are so fun, Alan...you have a kanck for pithy, witty light verse!
ReplyDeleteThanks Matt. Have to admit I very easily rise to the challenge it presents.
DeleteI love the snail, too, & because of Kat, but throwing that tantrum made me laugh a lot! Short is not easy!
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda. The short form is both challenging and rewarding.
DeleteI love these! You always make me laugh! I too like short pithy funny poems. Never heard throwing a tantrum taken literally and now I wonder why hasn't anyone thought of that?
ReplyDeleteThanks Janice. Laughter is a good emotion to evoke in a reader. Glad you enjoyed the tantrum poem.
DeleteThank you for sharing these Alan! I like the "threw a tantrum" poem. It made me think about how I could use figurative concepts like this literally in stories. Like, what did the tantrum look like? Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tim. It was fun to turn a tantrum into something concrete. Pleased it struck a chord for you as a reader. Personification of emotions is quite fun to tackle.
DeleteLOL! Each one of your short poems made me smile. How do I know? I'm catching up on Poetry Friday posts while waiting for my book club to begin on zoom and I caught myself smiling on camera as I read these fun poems. Great post!
ReplyDeletePleased my short poems delivered smiles Linda. You have even provided evidence-I'm impressed.
DeleteYour huffy haiku made me laugh! Well done all the way around!
ReplyDeleteThank you Mary Lee. Glad the huffy haiku was a hoot for you.
DeleteOh, aren't these fun! I like the huffy haiku, and my favorite has to be that tantrum hitting the wall had me laughing out loud. So cute! Thanks for the challenge.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased by your response to my short form poetry Denise. May you also find pleasure in writing in this manner.
DeleteSuch fun poems! I love the huffy haiku! I think writing short poems is oftentimes more difficult than longer ones. These were fun to read!
ReplyDeleteThank you Leigh Anne. They are fun to write too.
DeleteYour haiku poem is the best. You just can't play by the rules.
ReplyDeleteIt is what my dear Uncle often refers to as being 'quietly subversive,' Jone. Sometimes, it's fun to step into the naughty zone...
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