By now you have probably heard of a "Poetweet" ~ a poem kept to 140 characters, including spaces, to comply with the requirements for a “Tweet” on “Twitter.” (Well, that USED to be the definition) . . .
No worries – you do NOT need to have a Twitter account to participate in this one, but if you do, then it would be fun to “tweet” it once it’s ready.
AND, the times, they are a changing’. For several months now I couldn’t figure out how people were posting these tweets that were clearly longer than 140 characters so I did some research and discovered that Twitter has increased the number of characters allowed on a tweet to 280 characters ~ so that will be our parameters for this year’s “poetweet.”
"I think that I shall never meet / A poem lovely as a Tweet..." (to paraphrase Joyce Kilmer)
Short and Simple: "Poetweet" (AND VERY TRICKY)!!
Since this is getting posted a little later than usual today – let’s do something SHORT – however, don’t assume it’s all that easy!! You’ll see.
Our ever-changing digital age continues to create new modes of communication. Some people love to “tweet” their news. Have you tried a “poetweet” yet? If you are on Twitter then you may have, but if you haven’t ventured into “Twitter Land” yet, it might be new to you.
What I love about limited poetry (those that are specific as to the number of words or syllables you can you use) is that they force us to “tighten things up.” The surprising thing is that, usually, when you manage to say what you mean with fewer words, it packs a lot more power.
So a “poetweet” is a form of poetry which consists of exactly 140, I mean 280 characters. There is no reference to rhyme or rhythm, only 280 characters exactly. For the purposes of this “poetry form” ALL words must be spelled out, no shortcuts such as "ur" for "you are" or "b4" for "before." And definitely no "lol"! Normal contractions are allowed.
And remember: Every single letter, space, punctuation mark and/or number COUNTS as a “character” in this 280 character “poem” called a “poetweet”
Here’s the example of a poetweet offered in the “Urban Dictionary” a number of years ago, when the limit was 140 characters:
Of all the sights I see, there is none so beautiful as your shadow. Knowing you're near, and the sun is shining is enough for me. Beautiful. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=poetweet [Apparently the Urban Dictionary is unaware of the changes – this example was posted in 2010]
It would be fun to come up with one and then share it on Twitter ~ if you share this on Twitter you may use a backslash “/” to indicate a new line. But, again, REMEMBER that each backslash and the spaces on either side of it also counts as a character.
This was my attempt for 2016 so it has 140 characters: (and since I’m running later today – I’ll post this challenge without trying to come up with one that has 280 characters only). If I get one done I may come back and update the post:
#NationalPoetryMonth has been such fun/ It’s hard to believe it’s nearly done/ We’ve made new friends; written new poems/ Get in the zone
So, technically, for the purposes of following the instructions, it SHOULD have EXACTLY 280 characters (INCLUDING spaces) and that is the TRICKIEST part, but if you don’t get exactly the number, at least don’t EXCEED that number. Sound like a plan?
Have some fun with it. So, what can you come up with today?
Looking for inspiration? You can always write something about whatever “National Day” is being celebrated. Today has lots to offer:
TODAY, April 23, 2018 happens to be: National Movie Theatre Day, National Cherry Cheesecake Day, National Lost Dog Awareness Day, National Picnic Day, National Take A Chance Day, National Talk Like Shakespeare Day, National Zucchini Bread Day, National Slay a Dragon Day, to name most of them. Cheers!!
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 for 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 you 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.
