sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Poetry Friday: Definition Poems

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Welcome to Poetry Friday. What a week this past week has been!  I have to admit that I was very worried about releasing a new book in the midst of this terrible pandemic. Why, I thought, would anyone be interested in my little book in the midst of such awful stuff happening. But the love I’ve felt – for my book, and for me, too – has really made me remember that people need good stuff to celebrate in the midst of bad times just as much as they in the midst of good times, or even in-between times. So thank you for your well wishes, your support, and best of all your enjoyment of my videos and ramblings and sharings.

Last week, as part of my release day post, I shared a poem which I term a ‘definition poem’. It isn’t an existing form – just something I played with as I wrote Worse Things. Here’s the one I shared:

BROKEN

[bro*ken] (adj)

Ruptured

torn

fragmented.

No longer whole

or functioning.

In need of repair.

(Copyright Sally Murphy, 2020)

And here’s another:

 

BELONG

[be*long](Verb)

To be part of

Appropriately placed

A piece of the whole.

To fit in

Match up

Meet up.

Appertain

Associate

Apply.

To be apt.

(Copyright Sally Murphy, 2020)

 

If you want to see what these look like in the book (and don’t have a copy at hand) you can see the spreads in this video, which was put together for the Walker Books website. Broken appears at 0.47 and  Belong at 1.24.

 

I had a lot of fun writing these definition poems. First I identified key words or themes that I was exploring at different points of the book. Then I got out my dictionaries and thesauruses and looked at the definitions and similes. Then I simply played with the words and phrases, perhaps adding new phrases,  until I had a poem that I felt both defined the word and also connected with what was happening in the text.

Since I finished writing Worse Things I haven’t played with the form again, but this week I thought I might give it another go, inspired by  things seen on my daily beach walks. First there’s this one, inspired not just by the gorgeous Flo, but by all the pups I watch on my walks (including the recently departed Skipper, who is sadly missed).

Here’s what I came up with.

DOG

[dog] (noun)

Mutt

Pup

Pooch.

Tale-wagger

Stick chaser

Guide

Guard

Shadow

Man’s best friend

 

[Edited to add: yes, I do know dogs’ tails are spelled that way. The misspelling is a deliberate play on words!]

Beach

[beech] (noun)

Sandy shore

Oceanfront

Margin

Between sea and land

Coastline

Retreat

Embodiment of peace.

 

You might be able to pick the couple of lines that did not come from either dictionary or thesaurus. I especially found the definitions for beach a little inadequate for just how much it means to me.

So, over to you. I’d love to see if you have a word you’d like to define poetically?  I like to think it’s a fairly simple challenge,because the dictionary and thesaurus are a wonderful starting point for finding lots of fodder.

Not up for the challenge? That’s okay. There’s all sorts of other poetry goodness on offer around the interweb, courtesy of my Poetry Friday friends. You’ll find the roundup over on Michelle’s blog, Today’s Little Ditty. See you there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Congratulations on the release of your verse novel. I loved seeing and hearing you talk about it. The definition poems remind me of Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover. He used a similar form to define words used by the verse novel character. I am partial to the dog poem because I have a ball chasing, tail wagging, funny pooch living nearly by my side these days. Trying a definition poem with David Harrison’s word of the month, mask

    Mask

    false face
    disguise
    obscure
    screen
    front fabric
    safe style
    conceal
    reveal
    eye smile

    • Thanks for your lovely comments Margaret and for taking on the challenge. I especially like ‘eye smile’.

  2. Sally, I have followed your journey this month and am so glad that your book was released. New celebrations are always in order and I think help to distract us from the hardships of quarantine life. Your definition poems are interesting since you use them connect with the happenings in your text. I especially like “Beach” because it is one of my favorite go-to places. Your last lines resonate with me: Retreat/Embodiment of peace. I hope you will let me showcase this poem in my upcoming #NatureNurtures2020 Gallery. Let me know. (a bit of info is at my Poetry Friday post)

    • Carol, thank you so much for following the journey and for spreading word of it through social media. I have really appreciated it. And I would love Beach to be part of your gallery. Thank you.

  3. Congratulations on your new book! Yay! Your definition poems are wonderful. I especially love “Dog.” Now I want to give a definition poem a try. : )

  4. These are lovely, Sally. I especially like how the dog one goes from more general and distant to zeroing in up close and personal. Have you seen Heidi Mordhort’s definito form? It’s another definition poem (which are already fun to write) with some more specific rules to it. Anyway, well done!

    • Thanks Laura. Three commenters have mentioned Heidi’s form, so it is definitely on my list to check them out. Thanks agian.

  5. I love how your definitions are both literal AND emotional, going straight to the heart of a thing, like the “tale-wagging” and “embodiment of peace.”

  6. Any celebration is welcome these days, and I’m glad that yours has brought you some joy during these troubling times. I love playing with words and definitions, so your definition poems are right up my alley! (I’m also a big fan of Heidi Mordhorst’s definitos–I saw that Tabatha mentioned them, and you should definitely check them out. :)) I am keenly missing access to our beaches, so that poem (and gorgeous photo!) really resonated with me. I’m especially intrigued by your use of the word “margin.” Great post!

    • Thanks Molly. Yes I seem to have missed definito poems but plan to check them out – three of you have now noted the similarity so I hope I’m not treading on Heidi’s toes! I’m glad my beach glimpses are giving comfort to those missing them.

  7. This is such a nice example of word play, and I think it will be useful in a number of situations. “Dog” is my favorite… maybe the photo sways me. Thanks for this idea of definition poems, and best of luck with you book!

    • Thank you Karen. Yes, I am a bit partial to the dog poem as well as that dog is just beautiful. Her owner was delighted with the photo – apparently she is very hard to get a good photo of.

    • Thanks Michelle. I look forward to seeing what you come up with if you do.

  9. I love your definition poems and I will try a few as I enjoy exploring the thesaurus. All your definitions say something a little different, give a different slant to the meaning.

    • Thanks Janice. Yes, each is just a little skewed to the message I’m trying to get across. It’s a balanace between wanting to mimic a dictionary but also go further.

  10. oh, I love the word play in definition poems. Tale is perfect! I accept your challenge. I was quite impressed with your virtual book launch. I sure hope it brings ‘Worse Things’ success.

  11. I think my favourite thing about your videos has been seeing and hearing you, Sally. (Though your book sounds fabulous, too!) I thought I’d double up and do a magpie definition poem for your blog, since they were fresh on my mind from Michelle’s blog. Not done yet though… I might pop back in with one.

    • Magpie
      [ˈmæɡ,paɪ] (noun)

      bird
      black and white
      minstrel;
      dawn-breaker
      tune-maker
      carolling
      morn-waker
      worm-taker
      sip, drip, trip
      sweet gargled
      notes

      © Kathryn Apel 2020 (Draft)

    • Thanks so much for your lovely words, Kat, and especially for having a go at the challenge. I adore your poem and love that you have used a ‘proper’ pronunciation guide. I agonised over my decision not to do this in the book – because I was trying to reflect what it might be like for Amed to try to figure out what all those funny symbols mean. But as a teacher, I wondered whether I was muddying the waters.

    • Thanks Tabatha for dropping in and reading – and thanks for the tip re Heidi’s poems. I’ll check them out!

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