Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Tuesday Poem - a list poem...



The following poem was written from an exercise I set sometimes when I visit schools as a poet-in-residence. We've just had Children's Book Week here, in Australia, so it seemed appropriate. 

Ten Things to Do When You're Lonely

Draw a map of your heart, colouring each street light violet.
Write a love song to your future.
SMS knock knock jokes to everyone in your phone book.
Stand in the butterfly house of the zoo
and wait.
Invent a cocktail, drink it, then sing your favourite songs
loudly out of tune. 
Watch Buffy repeats and eat fairy bread
Learn how to say you're a groovy boy
in fifteen different languages

Design a break-his-heart party dress.
Send this poem as a chain email to all your friends
asking for a $5.00 reading fee

to be urgently deposited into your bank account.

With all your new money going shopping
for rainbow tights, a mood ring
and the perfect Sunday.


It's Tuesday - time to head over to the Tuesday Poem Blog where there is an absolute cracker of a poem, 'candle' by Hinemoana Baker, curated this week by Mary McCallum. It's a fabulous poem so, please, take the time to go and read it. And, of course, don't forget to scroll down the blogroll for other poems that might take your fancy on this blustery Tuesday. 

What's your favourite poetry exercise? 

3 comments:

Keith Westwater said...

Love it! Not sure what my favourite is right now as I came across a whole lot of new ones in the Iowa MOOC.

Michelle Elvy said...

Wonderful! I love all the details -- esp inventing a cocktail and watching Buffy. Funny.

Cattyrox said...

Thank you Keith - and also for putting me on the Iowa MOOC - eek, more things to eat up time! (But how enjoyably!) Thanks, too, Michelle. It's interesting that a few years ago a lot of the girls related to the Buffy idea, but now, not so much. They still like the cocktail!