Every summer Silver's circus comes to our town at a time when the numbers of visiting holiday makers and locals are at their zenith.  They stay for about a month over summer drawing crowds from all across the peninsula. Then suddenly, they are gone-off to their next location.   I have been inside the bigtop. Here is my poem to these annual circus visitors. I enjoyed the opportunity to indulge in a little wordplay... When The Circus Left Town When the circus left town  And the tent was folded away -The clowns cried The trapeze artist struggled to come to grips with the matter The fire eater contacted an old flame In search of a little warmth While the man they called the human cannonball Left with undue haste As if shot from a - For parts unknown The jugglers Couldn’t handle their despair  And all the while The ringmaster Walked in endless circles Intent on being stoic But still talking in a decidedly loud voice To anyone who would lend him an ear. ©Alan j ...

I have been this young poet. I have experienced the frustration that descends when topic choice is not offered and you are writing merely to please the teacher. This was me in Grade 5. In the interest of honest disclosure, this poem has autobiogrpahical underpinnings. It is a poem for all those quiet subversives. Names have been changed,  withheld to protect people, ants and cats... This poem is for all those young writers who want ownership, need ownership, in order to write with a sense of authenticity and voice.   I Don’t Want to Write A Poem About Cats Our teacher Ms Hydracklu Has insisted we write a poem about cats. Ms Hydracklu loves cats But they’re not exactly my favourite animal, or topic Since my sister’s cat –Princess Alice Peed in my track shoes. I sit in class Chomping on my pencil And staring at the floor under my seat It seems inspiration has run away to hide It’s turning into a –catastrophe… Suddenly, Ms Hydracklu announces- It doesn’t have to rhyme! I haven’t ...

In this post I am turning my attention back to the Trinet, a seven-line poetry form based purely on  its word count. Trinets are terrific! Here are the guidelines for writing a Trinet Poem: 7 lines Lines three and four have 6 words in each line All the other lines have 2 words per line The Trinet has no restrictions for rhyme, subject matter, or syllables. The trinet is pretty straight forward as a poetry form. Here are two examples of Trinet poems- Cake On A Plate Shall we? Should we Have another slice of orange cake? It would be shameful to waste We would Enjoy it I'm sure. Alan j Wright Fly By Night The fly spins constantly in those buzzing, death throe, circles A break dance of mortal magnitude Summertime pest Never welcomed Not mourned. Alan j Wright It is Poetry Friday and our host this week is Irene Latham. Irene's post is all about community Poetry Project and includes the composing of a progressive poem. Check it out at Irene's blog.