INTRODUCING THE BALLOON POEM!

Delighted to introduce a poetic form:


            The Balloon Poem

! Badda bing. So a "Balloon Poem" (is a type of "concrete poem" which) has the following two characteristics:

1) visually shaped so that the text forms an orb followed by a "string" of words, per example below; and


2) the words in the orb should bespeak something floating, airy, light et al while the words in the string should bespeak a grounding of the words in the orb.

Of course, the interpretations of lightness and grounding are subjective. For example, in the example below, what grounds (or tethers) the words relating to how I actually spent this Memorial Day Weekend is the dilution of weekend or holiday-related breaks to keep working, with nod here ("If you still have a job, you keep working...") to Great Recession. And this knowledge makes more special -- "grounds" -- everyday experiences so that, at least in the poem, one relishes ("floats" along, if you will, in) the small pleasures of the everyday ....


MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2012: A BALLOON POEM



                                                                                 Relish

                                        corn ... hamburgers (of course) … sunshower

                           2004 Trevor Jones … “Battleship” … popcorn … chocolate

               -covered vanilla ice cream balls … left-over fried rice & meatloaf … pear

               tart … “Tower Heist” … bagels with lox & onion/chive cream cheese … but of

          course: coffee, coffee, coffee … swordfish grilled in home-grown Meyer lemons …

          Sunday is always “laundry day” … fresh, yellow squash … a haircut for Mom … new

               shoes—as ever, the latest from Van’s—for El Hijo … adorable son shows me

                           a fresh way of tying shoelaces (such an artist!) … review images of

                                   paintings from Haiti … “If you still have a job, you keep

                                            working on holidays & weekends” … shop

                                                                                 TARGET



                                                                                 for

                                                                                 kitty

                                                                                 litter

                                                                                 Nap

                                                                                 E-mail

                                                                                 Nap

                                                                                 Yum:

                                                                                 David

                                                                                 Eyre’s

                                                                                 sugar-

                                                                                 dusted

                                                                                 pancakes!

                                                                                 E-mail

                                                                                 Nap

                                                                                 You

                                                                                 keep

                                                                                 working—

                                                                                 The

                                                                                 New

                                                                                 Dinosaurs?

                                                                                 Weekends

                                                                                 Holidays …

                                                                                 Walk

                                                                                 dogs

                                                                                  Pet

                                                                                  cats

                                                                                  Ketchup?

                                                                                  Catch
                                                                                 
                                                                                  up!

*****

As with the hay(na)ku, I like thinking of new poetic forms but that doesn't always make me the form's best practitioner. If this moves you to write a balloon poem, please share with me! (Email Moi at GalateaTEN@aol.com)  And, Poet-Teachers: isn't this a fun way to introduce/teach poetry?  And, yeah, the first five poets to send me their samples can get five free books (chosen by Moi please) from the Community Bookshelf! Go forth and balloon, Peeps!