The challenge this month was to write a wordplay poem. This challenge is based on one offered up by Nikki Grimes in May 2015 at Today's Little Ditty. Here's an excerpt:
When I first began to write poetry at age six, it was the result of wordplay. So try this wordplay exercise and create your own free verse poem.
When I talk about wordplay, I'm talking about studying a word from top to bottom, and inside out, considering every aspect of the word: What it looks like, sounds like, feels like. What it does, how it's used, etc. The idea is to bring all of your senses into the act. The poem you create may end up being complex and sophisticated, or very simple. But whether you're writing a nursery rhyme, or a complex prose poem for adults, wordplay is a valuable skill in the process of creating dynamic, original, poetry, or lyrical prose.
Since our theme this year is "In conversation," we were encouraged to choose a related word. Here's my first attempt at this.
Whisper
Whisper is a
hushed word
a shhhhhhhhhh
between the library stacks
and in church pews
Whisper is a
heart pounding word
finger pressed to lips
hold your breath
so you can't be
discovered
(but it's just an
active shooter drill)
Whisper is an
intimate word
forehead to forehead
nose to nose
lips to ear
sharing hearts and
secrets
Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.
Tricia, these so capture the essence of the form---making me hold that word on my tongue a moment and think of all the ways its used in this world. ( including the tension in the second one, with the unexpected jolt of the shooter!) So glad you got these done despite being under the weather.
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