Sunday, August 2, 2009

TOLT Poetry Exercise 3

I'm still working my way through The Ode Less Travelled. This week I learned about End-stopping (when a line of a poem ends on a complete thought), Enjambment (when a poem flows straight through the end of a line and into the next) and Caesuras (a pause in a poem). I also learned my new favorite poetry term, which I think describes me to the T: Poetaster - someone who writes really, really bad poetry. ;)

The third poetry exercise sort of kicked my ass. This time I was supposed to write five "blank" (non-rhyming) pairs of iambic pentameter in which the first line end-stops and there are no enjambments or caesuras. THEN, I was supposed to write ANOTHER five blank pairs of iambic pentameter, using the same subject matter, this time using enjambment and two caesuras. Here's one set of mine, which has a bit to do with the one year anniversary of me growing out my beard.
My beard and hair have grown for one full year
It makes the summer feel a bit too warm!

A year has made my face hirsute, it makes
the summer heat acute, please fall arrive!
I'll post more as I work my way through the book. Stay cool everyone!