Abstract Poetry
Poetry Contest
FREE VERSE is defined by Poetry Dances as:
"... a form of poetry that does not necessarily follow to any specific meter patterns, rhyme, or any other pattern.
Free verse, despite its freedom, often still has some elements of form. Most free verse does observe a convention of lines and structure."
Some free verse may have occasional or incidental rhymes but because of the lack of a set rhyme and/or meter pattern, it is advisable to use other poetic devices to distinguish free verse writing from prose. These may include: alliteration (using words beginning with the same letter); careful use of line spacing, poetic word choice and phrasing; and, limitation of, or avoidance of, punctuation and capitalisation. It is also a good idea to pay careful attention to where you use "the" and "and" as these words can often be unnecessarily overused in free verse poetry, especially at the beginning of lines. ["That" is also often overused in all forms of writing.] As there is no necessity to conform to a set syllable or meter pattern, free verse can really get to the essence of a subject, but just because there is no set meter, does not mean that there cannot be a good flow or even a rhythm to the words.
ABSTRACT adj 1referring to ideas or qualities rather than material objects 2 not applied or practical; theoretical 3 of art in which the subject is represented by shapes and patterns rather than by a realistic likeness... (from Collins English Dictionary)
Take a look at the artwork I have included in this contest brief. What does it look like to YOU? [Please look at it now, before reading on.]
.
.
.
This artwork is by chrissie. from FAR and is a "Digital Abstract Painting." It is called "Searchlight." Now, this artwork might be the artist's personal artistic interpretation of: "Searchlight," (what it means to her or what she sees when she thinks of "Searchlight",) or it could be that she composed the painting and when she looked at the finished article it reminded her of a searchlight, so that is what she called it. To me, it looks like an almost invisible person (abstraction of a person) carrying a searchlight on a beach, with both objects and colours being distorted... but would my mind have interpreted it as that if the artist had not called it "Searchlight?" Who knows?
This process, whether in its purest, subconscious form of personal interpretation, or whether used consciously as a process to generate something new, is actually a vital component in a writer's toolbox as well as an artist's, as it allows writers to create wonderful metaphors and add personal perception and feelings to an otherwise everyday object or place... else we would all be writing the same things!
With this contest, I would like you to take this process to its fullest strength and create something "else" or "new."
So, pick an object or a place upon which to BASE your free verse poem, but do NOT directly describe your chosen place or thing, instead, abstract it. For example, your words may severely distort the appearance of the thing or place, and/or exaggerate its qualities, and/or use double meanings of words related to it, and/or paint a picture in your readers' minds using the colours of your chosen object, or the emotions you feel in your chosen place, etc... It is up to you.
In this way you can tell us what your chosen object or place looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels like to YOU... through YOUR senses and as interpreted by the perception filter that is YOUR mind... Or you can turn your object into the ethereal or twist it into the obscure or hellish.
What you should end up with is a beautiful poem in its own right that has come from a potentially mundane object or place. We might not be able to work out what your chosen object or place is, and that is fine, but please tell us in your author's notes.
You do not have to use the artwork above. You may use any picture you like.
Examples of free verse abstract poems:
Shreds In Time
shreds
of what once was whole
spread thin
upon deserts of time
taste sweet
as part of the divine
turn sour
on bitter tongues
By fairydancer. [January 2012]
The object abstracted in this poem is toast and marmalade
[Words with double meanings: shreds, spread, thin (cut), bitter.
Distortion of appearance: toast looking like a desert.
No punctuation and capitalisation. Same number of lines in both stanzas.]
Port In A Storm
to the dreamer
I am the warmest, wildest waterfall
flowing down moss covered rocks
my blood is a power potion
for paradise birds
my mists arise from rainforest floors
to fill lungs with scents
of passion's flowers
to the sinner
I am the means to wash away
all manner of sins
from the signs of over-indulgence
to the stains of carnal desire
and even murder most foul
to the weary traveller
I am a fraction of familiarity
in a world of the mysterious
an international safe haven
within a universe of uncertainty
to the tired and aching soul
I am the deepest sapphire pool
glinting gently under a moonlit sky
cooling and soothing away
machinations of manic minds
and the malignant methods of the night
to the adventurer
I am the hot spring
where monkeys swim
on the mountain tops of China
sharing their sauna
with other free spirits
in a petrified landscape
to the rich and powerful
I am the underground spring
moulded in a manmade cave
of dreams and aspirations
with mermaids gifting every wanton desire
to the playful toddler
I am a rock pool
the size of a football pitch
filled with sea foam tides
ebbing from a never ending ocean
brimming with starfish sponges
and shark soaps
to the grafter
I am the way
of relieving the body
of the detritus of the day
scouring and surging
pummelling and plunging
with powerful perfection
until they are free
to the unpoetic
I am simply bath time -
your sumptuous shower
or bubbling bath
By fairydancer. [September 2010]
The object abstracted here was a bath with shower.
[This includes distortion of appearance and painting a picture using emotions.
Minimal punctuation and capitalisation. Employs alliteration.]
If you have any questions, please write a thread and I will be happy to answer :)
And a huge thank you to chrissie. for this beautiful artwork.
The contest winner will win half of the prize pool of 90.00 member dollars. In this contest at least 5 submissions must be made for the vote to begin.
Deadline: Contest is closed. Deadline was Wednesday, November 21, 2012.
Full Contest Listing
"... a form of poetry that does not necessarily follow to any specific meter patterns, rhyme, or any other pattern.
Free verse, despite its freedom, often still has some elements of form. Most free verse does observe a convention of lines and structure."
Some free verse may have occasional or incidental rhymes but because of the lack of a set rhyme and/or meter pattern, it is advisable to use other poetic devices to distinguish free verse writing from prose. These may include: alliteration (using words beginning with the same letter); careful use of line spacing, poetic word choice and phrasing; and, limitation of, or avoidance of, punctuation and capitalisation. It is also a good idea to pay careful attention to where you use "the" and "and" as these words can often be unnecessarily overused in free verse poetry, especially at the beginning of lines. ["That" is also often overused in all forms of writing.] As there is no necessity to conform to a set syllable or meter pattern, free verse can really get to the essence of a subject, but just because there is no set meter, does not mean that there cannot be a good flow or even a rhythm to the words.
ABSTRACT adj 1referring to ideas or qualities rather than material objects 2 not applied or practical; theoretical 3 of art in which the subject is represented by shapes and patterns rather than by a realistic likeness... (from Collins English Dictionary)
Take a look at the artwork I have included in this contest brief. What does it look like to YOU? [Please look at it now, before reading on.]
.
.
.
This artwork is by chrissie. from FAR and is a "Digital Abstract Painting." It is called "Searchlight." Now, this artwork might be the artist's personal artistic interpretation of: "Searchlight," (what it means to her or what she sees when she thinks of "Searchlight",) or it could be that she composed the painting and when she looked at the finished article it reminded her of a searchlight, so that is what she called it. To me, it looks like an almost invisible person (abstraction of a person) carrying a searchlight on a beach, with both objects and colours being distorted... but would my mind have interpreted it as that if the artist had not called it "Searchlight?" Who knows?
This process, whether in its purest, subconscious form of personal interpretation, or whether used consciously as a process to generate something new, is actually a vital component in a writer's toolbox as well as an artist's, as it allows writers to create wonderful metaphors and add personal perception and feelings to an otherwise everyday object or place... else we would all be writing the same things!
With this contest, I would like you to take this process to its fullest strength and create something "else" or "new."
So, pick an object or a place upon which to BASE your free verse poem, but do NOT directly describe your chosen place or thing, instead, abstract it. For example, your words may severely distort the appearance of the thing or place, and/or exaggerate its qualities, and/or use double meanings of words related to it, and/or paint a picture in your readers' minds using the colours of your chosen object, or the emotions you feel in your chosen place, etc... It is up to you.
In this way you can tell us what your chosen object or place looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels like to YOU... through YOUR senses and as interpreted by the perception filter that is YOUR mind... Or you can turn your object into the ethereal or twist it into the obscure or hellish.
What you should end up with is a beautiful poem in its own right that has come from a potentially mundane object or place. We might not be able to work out what your chosen object or place is, and that is fine, but please tell us in your author's notes.
You do not have to use the artwork above. You may use any picture you like.
Examples of free verse abstract poems:
Shreds In Time
shreds
of what once was whole
spread thin
upon deserts of time
taste sweet
as part of the divine
turn sour
on bitter tongues
By fairydancer. [January 2012]
The object abstracted in this poem is toast and marmalade
[Words with double meanings: shreds, spread, thin (cut), bitter.
Distortion of appearance: toast looking like a desert.
No punctuation and capitalisation. Same number of lines in both stanzas.]
Port In A Storm
to the dreamer
I am the warmest, wildest waterfall
flowing down moss covered rocks
my blood is a power potion
for paradise birds
my mists arise from rainforest floors
to fill lungs with scents
of passion's flowers
to the sinner
I am the means to wash away
all manner of sins
from the signs of over-indulgence
to the stains of carnal desire
and even murder most foul
to the weary traveller
I am a fraction of familiarity
in a world of the mysterious
an international safe haven
within a universe of uncertainty
to the tired and aching soul
I am the deepest sapphire pool
glinting gently under a moonlit sky
cooling and soothing away
machinations of manic minds
and the malignant methods of the night
to the adventurer
I am the hot spring
where monkeys swim
on the mountain tops of China
sharing their sauna
with other free spirits
in a petrified landscape
to the rich and powerful
I am the underground spring
moulded in a manmade cave
of dreams and aspirations
with mermaids gifting every wanton desire
to the playful toddler
I am a rock pool
the size of a football pitch
filled with sea foam tides
ebbing from a never ending ocean
brimming with starfish sponges
and shark soaps
to the grafter
I am the way
of relieving the body
of the detritus of the day
scouring and surging
pummelling and plunging
with powerful perfection
until they are free
to the unpoetic
I am simply bath time -
your sumptuous shower
or bubbling bath
By fairydancer. [September 2010]
The object abstracted here was a bath with shower.
[This includes distortion of appearance and painting a picture using emotions.
Minimal punctuation and capitalisation. Employs alliteration.]
If you have any questions, please write a thread and I will be happy to answer :)
And a huge thank you to chrissie. for this beautiful artwork.
The contest winner will win half of the prize pool of 90.00 member dollars. In this contest at least 5 submissions must be made for the vote to begin.
Deadline: Contest is closed. Deadline was Wednesday, November 21, 2012.
