I love writing poems with/against constraints, and I actually have a hard time writing without one! I need some kind of structure, however slight, to guide and assist me. One of my favorite constraints is to pick a random line from a book of poetry (just grab the closest one!), and use that as a first line or title for my own poem. If that doesn't feel like enough to work with, I also force myself to use one word in that chosen line in each line of my own poem.
I also highly recommend the Golden Shovel form! If you google it, lots of examples and explanations come up.
Kristen, thank you for sharing the "random line" as opener, and the other possibilities!
Needing "some kind of structure" is true more often than not--in some form, even if it goes no further than feeling an urge to work within a certain genre/form.
At times I feel "out of the box" has run amok, and leaves us unrooted.
Going Dark...(a relationship constrained by 4 sentences and 4 seasons)
1. It was easing into sunshine when we met at that Starbucks, at that table, at that time...finally warm enough to sit outside.
2. By the time the air turned blue and hot, we were in love and there was not a cloud in the sky.
3. When the wind danced along the ground, sweeping dust and dry, leafy partners, there was something else going on...something I couldn't put my finger on.
4. Then it got darker; the sun sank earlier, slipped deeper, weighed heavier and so did I.
I love writing poems with/against constraints, and I actually have a hard time writing without one! I need some kind of structure, however slight, to guide and assist me. One of my favorite constraints is to pick a random line from a book of poetry (just grab the closest one!), and use that as a first line or title for my own poem. If that doesn't feel like enough to work with, I also force myself to use one word in that chosen line in each line of my own poem.
I also highly recommend the Golden Shovel form! If you google it, lots of examples and explanations come up.
Kristen, thank you for sharing the "random line" as opener, and the other possibilities!
Needing "some kind of structure" is true more often than not--in some form, even if it goes no further than feeling an urge to work within a certain genre/form.
At times I feel "out of the box" has run amok, and leaves us unrooted.
That’s a really interesting approach to writing poetry! I’ll have to give it a try sometime. Thanks for sharing!
Going Dark...(a relationship constrained by 4 sentences and 4 seasons)
1. It was easing into sunshine when we met at that Starbucks, at that table, at that time...finally warm enough to sit outside.
2. By the time the air turned blue and hot, we were in love and there was not a cloud in the sky.
3. When the wind danced along the ground, sweeping dust and dry, leafy partners, there was something else going on...something I couldn't put my finger on.
4. Then it got darker; the sun sank earlier, slipped deeper, weighed heavier and so did I.
What one and each sentence can do and does...!
In #3, the mention of "danced" carries me through and beyond the darkness. The inclusion of the natural world is sustaining.
The mentions of "blue and hot"--yes! The "leafy partners." "Sank" and "weighed." Rich!
Thank you for posting, Shirley.