Poetic form – Acrostic

2017-09-01 Do Art Now

Artwork created Friday, September 1, 2017

Most of us have done acrostic puzzles, but some may not realize it is also a poetic form. Often it is used to write about a person, event, or thing. The letters are written vertically down the page, each becoming the first letter of the respective line. Often the letters are capitalized at the beginning of each line. The lines are written out to create a poem.

The line: Do art now, will be the starter of this example.

Do Art Now!

Do you have any idea,
Original thought to lead you?

Are you stumbling in creative darkness?
Remember you have power in this place
That is unlimited by time or space.

Never underestimate your talents, gifts,
Over a lifetime you have employed them
With results, some might never imagine.

This could be continued, but an acrostic typically ends when one runs out of letters. Name acrostics are often done for special occasions, like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, promotions, and to celebrate relationships.

Give it a try. The form is actually rather simple to complete. The lines do not have to have enjambment, which is where one continues into the next, some might stand alone.

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The forge, the rain

I once told someone,
We have to walk through the fire
To reach the other side,
Where the cleansing rain falls down
Washing all the smut away.

I can say the truth
Is the fire can burn away
All the reasons why
We want to hold on to ways
That no longer serve our aid.

People are like gold
Smelted in fire to force out
Impurities which
We must lose to become who
We are meant to truly be.

The rain can cool us
So we do nothing quick, rash,
It restores our peace
Making us aware we are
Only strangers passing here.

There will come times
When the firing is over
We move through the rain
And then we will be wrapped in
Linen white as untrod snow.

So now, remember,
The furnace is only here
To forge character,
Refreshing rain will bring
A sweet, forever surcease.

Now it is your turn. Stir up that creativity that lives in you and write, draw, photograph, or compose something that expresses traveling from one emotional or mental state of confusion or trouble to one where there are comfort and a continuation of goodness in life.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. I hope something touched your heart and inspired or encouraged you. We all have burdens, but often they lighten when detailed in text or artwork. There is a follow button you can click, or you may return at your leisure. I hope your day is all you dream it can be. Smile, today is a piece of eternity. Take care.

Aftermath

The buildings fell down
The smoke clouds have all dispersed,
But today, today,
Even with the years gone past
None of us has forgotten.

There is a shadow
Lingering over us, all
Likely never will
Be free of the memory
Tattooed across every mind,

Written on each heart
In scars, time cannot disguise,
Loss, tears, oceans deep
Pain the world cannot comfort
Innocence, safety, gone; lost.

Everything is changed,
September eleventh was
The day war came home
Made itself a part, fabric,
America’s life writ large.

Peace is still wanted
But we will never back down
Giving up our ground,
Let them call us bloody brave
Courageous, forever free.

No challenge we face
Is too large for our country,
We are forged in fire
We neither run or give up
One nation under God, all as one.

Statement of Fact

Giving up would be

So easy, I can feel it,

Sneaking up behind,

But I have a strong message

For that life stealing demon

I do not back down, nor quit,

So take your torment away

And do not trouble me, mine,

Or you are surely

Bound to see this tigress break

The bars that hold me

From raging wild totally

Unleashed with power to shake your world

I am not one to give up
You go your way or have no way left.

This follows syllable counts some ways, but it would be termed free verse by most experts. It is an example of how emotion, defiance, can be brought into forceful expression in a poem.

Think of a struggle in life, refusing defeat, and write what comes. Create a storm of feeling on the page.

Thank you for visiting here at Haphazard Creative. I hope you will come back. Follow the site if you care to do it. I wish you lots of creativity and life unbound by negativity. Take care.

Seven haiku

Haiku is a form of play, just something enjoyable to pass the time, especially for an insomniac. This is a crop from wee hours.

I.
From the beginning
Your sweet smile could rock the world
Outshining the stars.

II.
Power is not best
Used to beat down people’s lives,
But to raise them up.

III.
Kind words are a balm
Angry ones stir up rancor
Causing faults that break.

IV.
When joined together
Even tiny efforts can
A difference make.

V.
Given a puppy
A person learns love’s real worth
Finds true compassion.

VI.
All cats may possess
Nine lives, but eight are spent in
Trying owners’ souls.

VII.
Given words, wordsmiths
May spin an arc to span worlds,
Creating hope, dreams.

Now it is time to try this, remember the lines count 5-7-5 syllables. Just let the mind wander and feed the words it wishes. It is not hard. Pretend it is something done forever and maybe it will be easier.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. I hope you enjoyed your stay and found something encouraging and inspiring. There is a follow button, use it if you would like. Come back soon, and keep creating. Take care and be safe.