“Oooooo. Aaaaahhh,” my kids sing as we drive to the Habitat for Humanity thrift store with our used clothing donation. Twinkling lights cover the houses like lace, and figures of Santa Claus, his reindeer and light-speckled trees frolic in the front yards. Some streets seem out of place for New York or Las Vegas, they have a lot of lights, but Florida has to somehow make up for the lack of snow.
The December holidays are upon us and give rise to various occasions, rituals and events, depending on your culture and family traditions. I thought this was a perfect time to cover this type of poetry and forms of poetry.
Occasional poetry
More of a genre of poetry than a form of poetry, occasion poems document an occasion. While they are often written about those special occasions, like weddings and births, they can also be about winning a race or baking cookies with Grandma.
BRIEF HISTORY
While there have been occasions, there have been occasional poems. Whenever in history you find a written language and the literature of a culture, you will probably find that someone wrote a poem about an occasion.
SHOULD HAVE
“ Write about an occasion, that’s all.
COULD HAVE or what is the poet’s choice in all of this?
–Any form (or no particular form) just follow the form rules if you use one.
–Any rhyme (or no rhyme), unless a shape is used, then the rhyme scheme for that shape is followed.
–Any meter (or no meter set) unless a form is used, then follow the meter required for that form.
– The length can be long or short. However, if you use a form, that form can determine the length.
Ritual poem
At first glance, a ritual poem appears similar to an occasional poem. We all have specific things that we do each morning and each night that are ritual in nature. A ritual poem is actually very spiritual; a way to connect with your God.
BRIEF HISTORY
Like the poetry of the previous occasion, the ritual poem is as old as the sacred rituals and can be found in so many places.
SHOULD HAVE
There are two variations of the ritual poem. One is simply to mention the ritual, a spiritual element, or a sacred place. The second is like a list of instructions for the ritual. The Handbook of Poetic Forms for Teachers and Writers It has a fantastic modern example of this type of poem, as well as a list of instructions. Here is that excerpt:
Inspired by a recent eclipse, a student wrote this ritual poem:
Eclipse Ritual
1. Turn off the lights and gift paper windows to everyone.
2. Imagine that your face is the sun and place the moon in front of it.
3. Say DARK DARK DARK DARK and close your eyes.
4. Say ECLIPSE ECLIPSE ECLIPSE ECLIPSE.
5. Then become one by wearing dark clothes.
Here are some things to remember when writing this type of ritual poem:
1. Decide what you would like to see happen.
2. Examine all aspects of the topic.
3. Think of actions to illustrate some of these aspects.
4. Write each action as a command.
5. Number the commands.
6. Let yourself go.
(Padgett 157)
COULD HAVE or what is the poet’s choice in all of this?
As you can see from the example above, you don’t have to write a religious ritual if you don’t want to, however you will want to choose a time that can convey a spiritual feeling.
Event poem
The event poem is another form of poetry that is a numerical list. In the ritual poem, it contains some kind of ritual. However, an event poem does not feature an event.
BRIEF HISTORY
“Event poems emerged in the late 1950s, at the same time as the art form called ‘Happenings.’ In fact, a poem about an event could be seen as the written equivalent of an Event “(Padgett 74). The events were plays without plots, in which outlandish things happened. The event poem takes an ordinary object and lists things quirky to do with it.
SHOULD HAVE
“ An object to write about.
–Start lines with verbs. No verb to be (is, I am, are, was, were, etc.). Just action here!
– At least three lines.
– Nothing you would normally do with or with the object of the poem.
Example from my favorite book of poetic forms:
Pineapple event poem
1. Cut the pineapple in half and wear the two halves as earmuffs on a cold winter day.
2. Peel the shells of 100 pineapples and glue them to the floor as tiles.
3. Cut out five of the small round pills on the skin of the pineapple and sew them onto your jacket as buttons.
4. Look at the pineapple. It looks like the torch of the Statue of Liberty.
5. Feel the pineapple. It feels like a suede slipper on a very large child’s foot.
(Padgett 75)
COULD HAVE or what is the poet’s choice in all of this?
–Any object.
–Any length that exceeds 3 lines.
– Rhyme or not (although most do not).
OF NOTE
Try using this type of poem as a way to practice your creative thinking or as a fun way to beat writer’s block.
Source Notes:
Padgett, Ron. The Handbook of Teachers and Writers of Poetic Forms. 2nd. New York: T & W Books, 2000.