Wednesday Words Day

Wednesday Words Day

by Haylee

Trees,
A sign to control.
The flag, it hangs,
Limp in the breeze.
A ladder.
A journey.
Sails on the horizon,
Still now,
Broken.
Looking down on a city,
In smog and slumber,
A view blinded,
By beams of sunrise,
Flashing between,
Trees.

[CooL GuY] {{a2zRG}}

Yes, I know that most people do ‘Wordless Wednesday’ but you know I like to be different! So what was all that about then? Read on…

Over the weekend, a spoken word / poetry even was broadcast on the BBC, live from my home city (of culture), Hull. Now, I’m usually a huge fan of spoken word and slam poetry in particular, especially enjoying the talents of Scroobius Pip and Kate Tempest.

However, I’m sorry to say I didn’t think much to the performances at this event…and neither did my mum! She was unimpressed by the lack of a smile from the presenter for one and also the distinct lack of rhyme.

After explaining (unconvincingly) that poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, we chatted about the art of spoken word and that anything can be read in the style of slam poetry. Even a box of cornflake ingredients. Or the contents of your bin. In fact, it’s a challenge within that delightfully disgusting and ‘un-PC’ game, Cards Against Humanity – pick 5 cards and read whatever they say in slam poetry fashion. It honestly works.

So, spurred on by yesterday’s conversation, on my journey to work this morning I decided to create my own poem, purely based on naming / describing things I passed. The above is the train wreck result!

Is it poetry? You tell me…although I do have at least one rhyme in there to win my mum over and ending on the same word must gain points, surely? 😉 Why not have a go yourself and post your creations in the comments?!

IMAGE CREDITS: pridenews.ca and twitter.com

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14 thoughts on “Wednesday Words Day”

  2. Maybe I’m just poetically dense (take that whatever way you wish), but — beyond strict rhythm and rhyme (or no rhyme) formats — I discern no rhyme nor reason for supposed poetry experts to call one thing poetry and not another. I have found a couple poets whose work actually makes my heart beat faster, but too often, I’ll read pieces other people call “brilliant” and “moving” and “true”, that don’t touch me and leave me confused about the other responses. Sometimes I think the basic requirement that defines questionable writing as “poetry” is that its meaning is deliberately obscure. Or non-existent.

    Of course you’re right that poetry doesn’t have to rhyme. But if anything can be poetry, then anything can be prose. In fact, I’ve read some pieces that the authors say are poems, that read like prose with uncalled-for line breaks. In my mind, that doesn’t make it poetry. I think there is an elegant artistry in real poetry that makes it a more demanding expression than prose. And I believe real poetry is full of meaning.

    But maybe that’s just me.

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    1. Completely agree and I don’t think anything can be poetry but plenty of people claim their creations to be so, like you say when it’s obscure and can’t be put in any other category.
      Mine was more a tongue in cheek look at this I guess – but if people aren’t familiar with the style and inflections of reading it in a ‘slam’ way, then it’s just a descriptive list with little cohesion!
      I personally prefer poetry that rhymes, enjoying the rhythm it creates (my favourite poem is ‘From a Railway Carriage’ for this reason and how it makes you feel the movement of the train). But I also feel true poetry is emotive and by association, melancholy. I often think of true poets as being sad 😦
      There was a recent ad campaign featuring a poet – who basically read a story with pauses in all the wrong places. Wound me up so much!!

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      Reply

      1. Your piece was clearly tonge-in-cheek! I like to think emotive poetry can also be joyful — like rejoicing in Spring or nature or love.

        Are you sure that reader wasn’t Christopher Walken or William Shatner? *giggle*

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