By Ashley Lister
One of the reasons why I advocate using poetry as a warm up
exercise for writing is because it gets us to think about words in different
ways. When we write poems like the limerick or the sonnet, we end up
considering rhyme patterns. When we write poems like haiku and cinquain, we
count the syllables. When we write poems
like the triolet or the rictameter, we consider the impact of refrains and the effectiveness
of repetition. This month we’re looking at the diamond poem and considering word
classes.
Ass
Plump,
Round
Quivers,
trembles, anticipates
Hand, paddle,
crop, cane.
Shouting, shrieking, screaming
Reddened,
punished
Cheeks
The diamond poem is seven lines long. 1 x noun, 2 x
adjective, 3 x verb, 4 x noun, 3 x verb, 2 x adjective, 1 x noun.
As I
mentioned before, the benefits from this exercise are considering word classes
and how they are used. Also, as a piece of concrete poetry, I do think diamond
poems look pretty on the page. Another added bonus is, because of the absence
of prepositions, they tend to sound like ‘proper’ poetry.
Toys
Hidden,
forbidden
Buzzing,
sliding, gyrating
Dildos, clamps,
clips, vibrators
Plug, Play,
Please
Private, adult
Toys
As always, I look forward to
seeing your diamond poems in the comments box below.
bear
grey-haired, hoary
slapping, biting, punching
cuffs, clamps, spreader-bar, gag
moaning, sobbing, pleading
wet, needy
cub
no idea how to centre it, sorry!
Rachel,
I'm not sure how to do the centring thing myself in the comments.
Quality work as always – and the cute inclusion of a hyphen in spreader-bar makes it all the more visually pleasurable.
Ash
Thank you, Ash 🙂
Gorgeous, Rachel!
Thanks, Lisabet 🙂
My girlfriend is a natural blue head.
A virgin, with a pierced labia.
Not so much a dog walker, as a member of their pack.
Pop rock & infinity pools.
Goose stepping backwards; rewinding history's odometer.
Selling it as new.
-Marc Breed
An Ohio Poet Laureate candidate
http://topclevelandartists.blogspot.com
Stanley,
Thanks for sharing Marc's poem here. I can see it doesn't fit the restrictive form of the diamond poetry but it's a stylish piece of writing. It's one of those that makes me reconsider the dualities in every line.
Thank you,
Ash
In the Rough
By Lisabet Sarai
Consent.
Naive. Eager.
Undress, possess, invade.
Ropes, whips, marks, tears,
Punished, cherished.
Gratitude.
Lovely. I think the internal rhymes work so well on this piece, making it flow and giving it a delightful pace.
love this, Lisabet.
Thanks, Rachel!