I recall being super imp ressed with Molly Hogan's wordplay poem 'Splat.' Molly's poem placed this delightful onomatopoeic word under the microscope and revealed it in all its dimensions.  I pasted Molly's poem in my writer's notebook in order to more fully appreciate its powerful use of language.  I promised myself I would try to write in the style of a poet I admire. After much rummaging about in word-land, I settled on the word 'twang.'  It is a well known truism of writing- ' First we imitate, and then we innovate .' It is always best to write under the influence of those you admire. So, here is T-w-a-n-g! Twang Twang, I hear you- What a word, Word, Word. -Cousin of bang Quieter, but you hang around,  -somewhat longer. You, twang Are a reverberating rebel. I hear what you have to say, A little nosy at times, Constantly returning, As sound, To my ears. You only stop, When you are good and ready. Twang, you are a musical soul, It’s clear to me....

Poets are frequently attracted to the notion of wordplay. It can be an irresistible force at times. I am happy to admit, I find wordplay compelling. I give into its call quite frequently. Furthermore, I never tire of its allure... It also explains why I enjoy the poetry of  Michael Rosen, Brian Bilston, Roger McGough, Shel Silverstein, Pam Ayres, Jack Prelutsky, Roger Stevens, Max Fatchen and Brian Moses.  Elements of their poetry radiate with language contortions and a fair degree of fun and humour.  Brian Bilston employs wordplay masterfully in his book , 'You Took The Last Bus Home.' Word play Defined A witty or clever form of verbal expression, meant for fun and amusement.  Commonly used in literature, poetry, and spoken word genres. It involves the exploitation of the meanings and ambiguities of words. There are many forms of word play techniques, e.g., pun, spoonerism, slang, acrostic, euphemism, and oxymoron, just to name a few. So, here are a couple of e...