'Name That Format' + Inspiration From the Archives

[poetree_admin]

jjhunter

If you are intrigued by the possibility of a pt_lightning poetry project but aren't sure where to start, this is the post for you!

Last summer, the POETREE community hosted a two-week icebreaker for Pod Together 2013. Like pod_together, Pod Together Lightning is a transformative works collaboration challenge for writers and podficcers, or in the case of poetry, poets of any experience level and performers. Poets write poems specifically to be performed, and performers record audio versions of their performances. The 'Lightning' aspect of pt_lightning makes it especially accessible for incorporating poetry, in that the works produced can be quite short (100 words minimum).

POETREE's archives offer a number of handy posts for the aspiring poetry-inclined participant. Never written a poem in your life? Try ysabetwordsmith's post 'You Can Write a Free-Verse Poem'. Writing with performance in mind new territory for you? Check out cadenzamuse's posts on Atlanta slam poetry for insights, examples & exercises to get yourself started. (We especially recommend 'Become a slam poet in five steps', by Gayle Danley — scroll up for video.) Recording poetry not your usual cup of tea? luzula has a pitch you should hear at Recording poetry: why does it appeal to me? (Her other posts on the pleasures of poetry read aloud are also a delight.)


Let's get the ball rolling with a little game to remind ourselves of how rich a variety of poetry forms there are to play with in addition to free verse. In addition to any questions, comments, observations, lamentations, exaltations, exclamations or further resource recommendations you might choose to share in the comments (all most welcome), please feel encouraged to offer a non-free verse poem of some kind in English or with an English translation. Can be your own poem, or one by someone else; either's fine. Others are then likewise encouraged to identify the format of that poem, and offer a new poem in a different format for everything to guess. Let's see how many different formats we can think of!

Bonus points for describing or linking to what makes a $format poem a $format.

Comments

name that format

[jjhunter]

Here's one of mine to start us off — 'Voter Registration Form'. Can you name the format?

There once was a form out to fill
its blanks with some true civic will
but when someone came
to fill out their name
it uncivic prompted with swill

Re: name that format

[alexseanchai]

The limerick packs laughs anatomical
Into space that is quite economical.
   But the good ones I've seen
   So seldom are clean
And the clean ones so seldom are comical.

I must have loaded this page after you posted but before you commented, so let's take my below comment as my continuation of the chain.

Re: name that format

[jjhunter]

Either works! We can certainly have multiple threads going simultaneously too. :o)

(I love the limerick you quoted here — is that one of yours?)

Re: name that format

[alexseanchai]

Nah, I pulled it off the page on Wiki.

Re: name that format

[jjhunter]

Ooo, unknown author. Well, in honor of that, have a lowball format of this poem by another unknown author:

there's something about
sitting on toilets that prompts
existential angst