A lipogram is a written work composed of words selected so as to avoid the use of one or more letters of the alphabet. Since posting an interview with JonArno Lawson, I haven't been able to get the form out of my mind. Here's an example of one of his poems. Since the title of the poem uses only the vowel e, this is the only vowel that appears in the poem!
DeerHow's that for a challenge?! What letter(s) will you omit? Leave me a note about your poem and I'll post the results here later this week.
Deer delve deeper,
peer between endless greens,
gentle breezes tremble the reeds,
tempers seethe,
regrets deepen.
Whenever we freeze,
then flee--
Whenever we're tender,
then severe--
we resemble deer.
Poem ©JonArno Lawson. All rights reserved.
Yikes--this is hard! Here's my best shot. Now I admire JonArno Lawson even more!
ReplyDeleteStick Trick
Well hidden,
she slides
between trees.
The breeze
ripples her shirt.
Her knees
are skinned.
She is thin.
The girl grins,
creeping behind
the swing.
She'll greet
her friend
with a stick,
clever and light—
insect prickle,
shiver, tickle.
Then Kell will
shriek
with frightened
delight.
--Kate Coombs, 2010, all rights reserved
Kate - I love the insect prickle and all of your joyful-outdoor-childhood images. You're right about this not being easy.
ReplyDeleteWhich Letter to Use?
I struggle to choose
which letter
but hey
this is the choice
every poet will weigh.
One letter of twenty-six
left in the dust.
I feel guilty
to dump one
but dump one I must.
Rules govern this poem.
I need to obey.
It's tough so
I'll just pick
the first letter - __.
(Is this OK?)
© Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
Thanks, Amy. I like how you used the left-out letter without using it--heehee! Face it, you're a rebel. :)
ReplyDeletethe tryst
ReplyDeleteby steven withrow
steven, lesley meet.
deep-freeze eve.
they tremble, speechless,
free. wedded eyes
tell secrets. even
the evergreen trees
keep shy. temps
descend by twelve
degrees. yet every
step feels fever,
swelter. yes, every
breezy zephyr swells
sky's sweet glee!
That's great, Steven - well done! Here's my contribution of the one-vowel version:
ReplyDeleteBODY KNOWS
Body
knows how
to go
slow now,
to fool Doom,
to bow down -
to grow
old.
Body
knows not
how to grow
cool, nor cold,
knows not
how
to stop,
poor sot.
This is tricky but fun. After my first draft, I realized a sneaky little "a" had snuck in without my noticing. I sent it packing in the revision!
ReplyDeleteSpring
Listen --
wind in trees
billowing breeze
birds singing
chimes ringing
See --
violets, periwinkles,
showers, sprinkles,
green emerging,
blooms unfurling,
spiders spinning,
life is winning
~Elisabeth M. Priest
Okay, here's my poem for the week.
ReplyDeleteMISSING D-A-D
He's gone now
too long
My home of youth
now foreign
is no longer home
I miss his
blue eyes
smile
unwilling hugs
I miss his
strength
work ethic
stoicism
I miss his
quiet love
I still journey home
however impossible it is
to return
I miss him terribly
but nothing like my mom