Every so often I revisit the articles written by James Fenton for his poetry masterclass. In the article To villanelle and back, Fenton looks at a variety of forms and the challenges they pose. I was particularly taken with this excerpt.
What an interesting idea! Here is how the resulting poem begins.John Fuller, in response to a competition challenge, set out to write a poem consisting only of three-letter words. And in order to add to the interest, he decided on a form in which there were three three-letter words per line, and the lines came in groups of three.
The Kiss
by John Fuller
Who are you
You who may
Die one day
Who saw the
Fat bee and
The owl fly
Read the poem in its entirety.
This amazing poem has me wondering what kind of poems can be crafted using only three-letter words. That is your challenge. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll post the results here later this week.
For the Shy
ReplyDeleteAre you shy?
Run far. Try
the fox way.
Man does not
dim the sun,
nor can wag
see day lit
for you. Why
fit? Dip out
all the fun
for one. Now
you can fly!
--Kate Coombs, 2011, all rights reserved
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ReplyDeleteNice job, Kate! Mine gets sporty, with a little Quincy Troupe or Tim Seibles hiphop thrown in for good measure:
ReplyDeleteFor the Win
By Steven Withrow
Yes—you nab
the tip off—
rob the orb
jag and zag
top key hop
lob for two—
out too low—
ram the rim
oop and jam
bam!—all air—
not but net
mad sun god
©2011 Steven Withrow, all rights reserved
For a bit of silliness:
ReplyDeleteBug Off, Bug
Fly, bug, fly,
you hit the
eye, but cry?
Not moi.
© 2011 Jane Yolen, all rights reserved