I decided to live dangerously in October. It’s a scary month, so I’m going to explore a form of poetry with stringent rules that moves at a rapid-fire pace. I’m going to write blitz poetry. This unusual style, developed by Robert Keim, has set rules using connecting phrases to create a 50-line verse titled Crap and Confusion.
Line 1 is a short phrase or image. Line 2 is another short phrase or image using the same first word as line 1. Lines 3 and 4 starts with the same word used as the last word of line 2. Then, lines 5 and 6 use the last word of line 4. This pattern is followed until line 48. Line 49 uses the last word in 48. Line 50 begins with the last word in line 47. The title is three words long. The title format is the first word of line 3, a preposition or conjunction, and the first word of 47. You can’t use any punctuation. Luckily, these poems don’t need to rhyme. This poetic adventure will either be a lot of fun or leave me frustrated. I will call this Blitz poem Crap and Confusion. Let’s get our spooky scare on right now.
Crap and Confusion
Carpi Diem
Carpi Diem Crap
Crap about seizing the day
Crap about making life count
Count for something
Count beyond the calamity
Calamity of this crushing world
Calamity without cost
Cost of admission
Cost of commission
Commission fully paid
Commission to the crazy
Crazy form of energy
Crazy continuity
Continuity of sameness
Continuity of collision
Collision of future and past
Collision about to crash
Crash head on
Crash and collide
Collide and swing wide
Collide and coast
Coast past an old codger
Coast past him wear a corsage
Corsage in his label
Corsage made of carnations
Carnations so pretty
Carnations blue in color
Color of his eyes
Color so cold
Cold as the fingers of winter
Cold as concrete
Concrete lining the street
Concrete where cockroaches
Cockroaches scurry
Cockroaches coordinate
Coordinate a take over
Coordinate a conspiracy
Conspiracy of the damned
Conspiracy of the coquette
Coquette in disguise
Coquette with cooties
Cooties of the bug
Cooties of a convict
Convict without a home
Convict of confusion
Confusion with no remorse
Confusion with no control
Control
Remorse
Who is Molly Shea?
Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh. To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.
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Hey, I really like this . It’s really creative. I’ve never heard of this kind of poetry before, and I like it. Although I think it might be really difficult to write.
Amazing one.
It is a little hard to write because of all the rules but I love how these poems flow. Thank you for reading.
Yeah, but I like the idea behind it. It’s creative.
Very nice!
Thank you.
Thank you very much for follow my little blog. It is a honor! 🤗😍📚📖🖋