A Poem to Text to your Friends #1
This is a long winded way to say / how bird song clear your voice / bounds singing / out the window like sixty winged acrobats / that spin flips and cartwheels.
A Poem to Text to your Friends #2
The new sky is blue /a pale blue with icy aquamarine edges / a sapphire, midnight, electric blue / a royal navy steel slate cyan blue. / I just had to tell you.
A Poem to Text to your Friends #5
Agnes likes clouds. / Their coloured cones cloud out common colder thoughts / she considers: do clouds have faces? / A dewy dream of cumulus carries her away.
Happy New Zealand Poetry Day, everyone. I wrote these poems as part of a set of six for the 2011 edition of the Kiwi Diary – a beautiful diary, year book and planner that is curated with New Zealand art, writing , jokes, recipes and general inspiration. I have to confess the idea to write text poems came from one of the students I tutor at the last creative writing contact course where he read his poem (called “160 characters”) to the class from his phone. I have tried to make each of these poems 160 characters. Text them to your friends!
6 responses so far ↓
1 Helen Lowe // Jul 30, 2010 at 8:58 am
I like–especially the first one: it makes me think of the bird song clarity of the tui’s song, the way it bubbles and curls and mimics …
2 Sarah Jane Barnett // Jul 30, 2010 at 9:51 am
Thanks, Helen. I had fun writing that one in particular. Sometimes it is just fun to play.
3 Belinda // Jul 30, 2010 at 9:13 pm
I really like the whole idea of text poems, Sarah – I like the second one a whole lot but all three are intriguing. Thanks!
4 mary mccallum // Jul 31, 2010 at 1:33 am
Hey Sarah – I wrote one too after hearing the student read his poem, and tried 160 character text poems out on my class for a first effort at writing poetry. They used their cell phones and had to write about a place that mattered to them. It forced brevity and made for some lovely juxtapositions – and, as you say, fun! I like your poems – they feel light and fun – I especially like #2 – great to send out. Hey and great to catch up even if text-briefly at Unity.
5 Sarah Jane Barnett // Jul 31, 2010 at 9:02 am
It was far too brief. Maybe we could have a Tuesday Poem coffee session? I would love to see some of your students text poems.
6 Mariana // Jul 31, 2010 at 1:45 pm
My favourite is #2 as well. Love the idea of a sky so blue you just had to text someone & that they could share of the sky in that instant – real-time poetry. I like the way the different shades of blue layer up like a painting.
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