Animal

Taking this idea to a playful extreme is today’s (optional) form to explore: concrete poetry.

Also known as shape poetry, the idea here is to arrange your words on the screen (or the page) so that they create a shape or an image. The meaning of the image can be obvious at first glance, or require some guesswork after reading the poem. It’s up to you to decide how difficult you want to make it for your readers.

OK I admit, I failed today. I tried using graph paper ready to transpose it into a wordprocessor but I had to admit defeat. Rather than post nothing I’ve created an image instead on the assumption that half a loaf is better than none.

Now I’ve had time to think about it more I have another submission, this time an alternative for today.

Polar bears, microbes in your cells, unicorns, your pet hamster, polecats: find a way to include an animal, today’s word prompt, in your poem.

The Ultimate Pacifist

Strictly vegetarian

Safe in the trees

Uses it’s long, strong claws

Only to climb

Tiny eyes watch, full of curiosity

The dog below

Not so harmless it goes loko, alas

The pacfist, oblivious to

Danger lurking below

Climbs down

Doesn’t know how to

Fight, retaliate and succumbs

Another pacifist taken

Our loss.

Author: macmsue

I’m a sister, wife, mother, grandmother, auntie and friend. I prefer to be outside and am interested in photography, nature and different cultures. I believe everything on this earth has a right to be here but some things and some people would be happiest if their space was far away from mine. (Flies and biting bugs take note!) I don’t like housework and think dust is Nature’s way of saying, “This is my space, I was here first.” View all posts by macmsue

7 thoughts on “Animal”

and you don’t even like spiders.

I like the spider poem – it;s clever, and can be recited however you wish – like throwing a lot of lines in the air, and then reading them out in whatever order they fall.

macmsue says:

February 19, 2015 at 8:28 am

Thanks for that positive feedback.

Reply
macmsue says:

February 19, 2015 at 11:51 am

Thanks, I did feel I was taking the easy way out but I really tried to do another one and failed miserably. Maybe tomorrow’s will be an easier one.

Reply
1. janebasilblog says:
  
  February 19, 2015 at 5:59 pm
  
  I don’t think you failed. It was original and clever. Isn’t that a large part of what all art is? Please feel good about it…
2. macmsue says:
  
  February 19, 2015 at 10:30 pm
  
  Thanks so much for that, I just felt I couldn’t manage to do it the way it was shown. I like my result but not the fact it came about because I couldn’t do something. I think I might try again with a MUCH simpler design.
  🙂
3. janebasilblog says:
  
  February 19, 2015 at 10:42 pm
  
  A couple of people have explained how they did it without HTML. To me HTML sounds simpler than what they did, but i have different mental blocks.
  I like that you came up with such a good alternative. You could have just not bothered.