In the Poetries for National Poetry Month

 

Poetic Day 11 of National Poetry Month:  April 11, 2019, Thursday

 

Welcome to the continuing celebration of National Poetry Month on WORDWALK!

 

On Monday evening of this second week of NPM, I presented the following poem at the Readers’ Workshop of Behind Our Eyes, an international organization of writers with disabilities.

http://www.behindoureyes.org

Although I had originally posted this poem on WORDWALK on April 15, 2015, I significantly revised this poem for the Readers’ Workshop and for inclusion in this post.

 

Of all the poems I have written through the many years since I was in second grade, this poem definitely contains the most alliteration.  The poem does its job of demonstrating what alliteration is–the repetition of initial sounds of adjacent words  (or syllables).  Of course, this poetic technique can be overdone.  After you read my “poem-of-the-day,” you can decide if the alliteration is used too frequently or if it suits the subject and style of the poem.  When you write your own poem, you will need to decide where to use alliteration and how often to use this poetic technique in a single poem.

 

Additionally, this poem contains examples of play-on-words, one of the fun writing techniques that can be incorporated into poetry.  “Poetries” is a “play” on the word “Rockies.”  Many poets consider writing a poem to be similar to playing a game–a word game.  Most frequently, I think of poetry writing as a literary game.  I hope you will enjoy playing with words throughout the remainder of NPM.  Remember that five prompts will follow the alliterative poem.

 

 

At a High Altitude in the Poetries

 

poem by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

 

 

Atop the Peak of Mount Poetry,

above the tree line,

amidst a poetry line,

I gaze down

and see a valley of verses.

Then, meadows of metaphors,

fields of figurative language

lie radiantly rhyming before me.

Across the Great Plains are

acrostics and tumbleweeds of tankas.

Next, I notice

rolling hills of haikus

heading toward the horizon.

Then, streams of sonnets sashay to the south

while to the west, I watch

a waterfall of wistful words.

So very close to me are

a scent of similes,

a fragrance of fiction,

an incense of inspiration.

 

As I admire the massive azure sky,

I am reminded of the variety and vastness

of this poetic world.

At this high altitude of gratitude,

how creatively content I am

for poetry!

 

* * *

 

WRITING PROMPTS FOR DAY 11 OF NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

 

1. Write a poem that flows with an abundance of alliteration.
2. Write a poem which describes your imagined or realistic view from a mountain peak or hilltop.
3. Write a poem which uses a skyscraper as a metaphor.
4. Write a poem about the terrain you find most pleasing and/or least pleasing.
5. Write a poem about climbing a mountain, hiking elsewhere, or visiting a state or national park.

 

Hoping all of your po-e-trees are budding during National Poetry Month,

Alice and Leader Dog Willow

 

April 11, 2019, Thursday

 

 

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