I first saw Cleave Poetry on Ben Alexander’s wonderful blog, so I did a little research. This style of poetry, created by Dr. Phvoc-Tan Diep, is three poems combined into one with two contrasting views. The reader must read the right side of the poem. Then the left side of the poem. Finally, they must read all the lines to catch the entire meaning. I decided to try this style of poetry for December. I think it might prove to be my biggest challenge—the second Cleave poem of the month I tittle Scavenger Hunt. I also use a form of list poem.
Scavenger Hunt
Visiting antique shops/ a scavenger hunt
List in hand on a quest to find/ some old and forgotten relic
Among the treasures and the trash/ discarded with the junk
A leggy lamb that never hops/ a cuckoo clock without a door in front
Barbies in all their splendor/ Superheroes on a bender
Jewelry in a case for sell/Teddy bears with a musty smell
Old fashioned coffee mugs/ Mannequins with plastic hugs
Spoons in a Rack on the wall/a metal chicken six feet tall
Dream catchers to help you sleep/ A plastic Jesus to make you weep
A quilt display on the top floor/ Stuffed deer heads galore
Pack Man lunch boxes for school/ Ronald McDonald glasses and a stool
A toy train priced to go/ A plastic Tweety Bird in the window
Micky and Minnie hand in hand/ trash and treasures so in demand
The interesting typewriter we didn’t find/ my feet hurt and I’m in a funk
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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This sounded fun.
Thank you.
Wow, Molly, you knocked this out of the park… I think the longer the cleave poem, the harder it is to pull off!
❤
David
Thank you.