Sunday, April 7, 2019

Day 7 for Senses Poem #NationalPoetryMonth “30 Poems in 30 Days”


So, basically this “Senses Poem” seems like a simple, forthright poem. BUT it is open to a number of variations that can keep you busy for quite some time!! You can have lots of fun with this poem. 

There is no need to worry about rhyming or counting syllables, although it does have other requirements (basically just to “fill in the blanks”) and it can be pulled together in several ways – try each of them, if you wish, or just choose one way to share your poem.

So first, everyone is familiar with the “FIVE SENSES” ~ sight, smell, hear, touch, and taste. 

But many have argued that there are SIX SENSES if you consider your mind ("I think") as one of the senses. 

Hence, we are writing a FIVE SENSES and/or SIX SENSES POEM today!! Cheers!!

Chose a topic and describe it using each of your six senses, one per line/

Here is a SIX SENSES format to follow, BUT feel free to rearrange the order the various senses you use to describe your object/topic.

1     I see ____________________________
       I smell ___________________________
3     I hear ___________________________
4     I feel (as in touch) __________________
5     I taste ____________________________
6     I think ____________________________

Here’s a way to change things up a bit – and it works well if you only want to write about the FIVE SENSES – you can change “I see” to "It looks like," etc.

1     It looks like (instead of I see) _________________
2     It smells like _______________________________
3     It sounds like (instead of I hear) _______________
4     It feels like _________________________________
5     It tastes like ________________________________

So, you CAN just leave it like it is once you fill in the blanks (in any order using either five or six senses). That will give you a great poem by just doing that.

OR you can remove most of the PRONOUNS, VERBS, and ARTICLES and get a new effect.
Think of a place that is special. Form an image in your mind of this place. Then complete the following statements.

Here’s one example, taken step-by-step.

(I grew up in southern California and would go to the beach every chance I got)  . . .

First – fill in the blanks:

      I see ______________   the breaking waves
      I smell _____________  the seaweed-tinged air
      I hear ______________  the seagulls squawking overhead
      I feel (as in touch) ____  the wet sand squishing between my toes
      I taste ______________  the salty ocean water
      I think ______________  I’m back in my childhood heaven

OK, so,  here's how it looks by just filling in the blanks: 

   I see the breaking waves
   I smell the seaweed-tinged air
   I hear the seagulls squawking overhead
   I feel the wet sand squishing between my toes
   I taste the salty ocean water
   I think I’m back in my childhood heaven

© 2017 Stephanie Abney

And that makes a nice poem BUT, if I remove most of the pronouns, verbs, and articles, then I get this one; also a very nice poem:



breaking waves
seaweed-tinged air
seagulls squawking overhead
wet sand squishing between my toes
salty ocean water
my childhood heaven
                                         
                                                                                            © 2017 Stephanie Abney
                                                      

And that makes a new version of the same poem and it’s pretty cool as well. 

Experiment with the different ways you can approach this type of poem. And just have fun!! Cheers!! Enjoy!!

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work. 



4 comments:

Peggy Barker said...

 Here is today’s “Senses Poem”

“Memories”
I see my childhood’s kitchen
I smell fresh bread baking in the oven
I hear my mother’s cheery greeting
I feel her hug as she asks about my day
I taste the bread with melted butter and sticky honey
I think there is no place like home

Connie Cockrell said...

"Outside my Window"

I see the pine outside my window
I smell its piney scent
I hear the wind whooshing through its branches
I feel the rough pine cones it has dropped
I taste the pitch that has stuck to my fingers
I think I love the green against the bright blue sky

Heidi L. Murphy said...

Here are some of mine. The first is a poem I wrote before to fill this spot. Then the ones for today.
https://murph4slaw.blogspot.com/2019/04/day-7-national-poetry-month-free-verse.html

Stephanie Abney said...

All wonderful poems - thanks, ladies!!