ABSTRACT
Why sculpt a poem? Shape poems add an extra dimension to your writing. The topic itself suggests how
the words would be arranged on the page. It’s easy to visualise how a poem about a
snake would look for example – Can you see it in your mind’s eye right now, even if
you don’t know what the words are yet? Also the topic can lead you to think about
other ‘poetical devices’: my snake-shape-poem would have plenty of alliteration and
assonance, plenty of hissy slithery sliding through the grass. Finally, shape poems are
fun because you can fit them into pictures, collage, make mobiles with them (how
would a shape poem mobile about the Solar System look?) or even 3D models. If
you want more ideas about shape poems do a quick search on the Internet and
you’ll be spoilt for choice.
