What’s a Word’s Worth
Is it worth its salt
this word
if not
who’s at fault
is it worth a damn
this word even if
it rhymes with
Spam
what is it worth
this word
what is it meant to say
this word in your ear?
What do you mean, ‘can’t’? You can!
Do you remember being asked to do something and declaring “I can’t!” and being met with “There is no such thing as ‘can’t’!” Poetry is a bit like that, where to start, what to write. We can feel out of our depth and even if we try, we rarely feel happy with what we have managed to write. We all know what poetry is, we were taught it at school yet so much poetry flies under our radar and forms an integral thread throughout our lives. I can almost hear voices say “What is this idiot talking about?”
Now think for a moment about our experiences, we have Nursery Rhymes, lyrics to songs, jingles, catch phrases, greeting card wishes and now, Memes or GIFs impacting our daily lives. Who hasn’t enjoyed a rude or satirical limerick then perhaps remembered it enough to repeat it. What we may not realise is that it is something that connects all humans and is intrinsic to societies around the world. Every language, every culture, every historic age has poetry, it is universal.
So, what is poetry? I’ll go with this simple definition: ‘Poetry is memorable language’.
Even if I can’t remember or recite a poem, it doesn’t mean I don’t remember it. It could just be the title or the occasion or emotion it provoked. Sometimes it just needs a prompt to go back and reacquaint and relive. Very few people will remember Pendleton’s Twicer, but for me the jingle is instantly recalled, should a trigger occur.
“What could be nicer than a Pendleton’s twicer
Ice-cream – with a lolly each end!”
The weird thing is, I don’t think I ever tasted one!
Never one for writing, it was a chore to be done like ‘thank you’ letters or essays at school, then one day I decided to write down a series of childhood memories, a sort of list, short phrases to trigger each memory. Seeing it on paper I realised it was a bit like a poem; I had created something with meaning. From there I started to write short poems to record things I wanted to remember.
The day is passing
Lost in the fog of memory
Time ripples outwards
Like the slogan ‘Just write’ – give it a go it really is for anyone.
- Settle down to a quiet moment to observe your surroundings.
- What do you notice, what catches your eye and attention.
- Write what you observe in three lines, one short, one longer and one short again.
- The first two lines set out your thoughts on whatever you have observed.
- The last line is to either get the reader thinking or to make a point.
- Punctuation is optionall
Remember “I can’t”?
I can’t sing he said
Why may I ask can you not
The Robin has my voice
You may already know this form as Haiku (Hi-Koo) which is often talked about with fixed rules, ignore them, just write! It originates from a Japanese tradition which is hard to convert into western rules which tend to be rigid.
Don’t write for anyone but yourself to begin with, just enjoy the process. You get better with practice and might like to share your discoveries.
A word in your ear
A word in your ear
Whispers
Shouts
Moans
Secrets
Thoughts
Fears
Stories
Jokes
Invitations
Word play
Word perfect
Word for word
In a word
A good word
A word to the wise
Words on the wind
In so many words
Give me your word
Put in a good word
May I have your word?
