Derelict Staircase

Okay, so I had so much fun exploring the Breccbairdne, Blackout, and Brady’s Touch world of poems in March I decided to carry it over into April. I felt like I didn’t learn enough about these varied writing styles, and I plan to carry on this poetic adventure while the buds start blooming on the trees. I still have many pages left to use from the pages of Mr. Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt. It would be a shame to allow them to go to waste. I’m starting to learn important lessons about meter and rhythm. I’m searching every corner of my mind for new inspiration. It almost feels like I’m running an intellectual marathon. Let’s get started. This poem is a Black Out poem I called Derelict Staircase.

Black Out Poem and Derelict Staircase

Poet takes a black marker and redacts words until a poem is formed. It is important to note the text and redacted words form a visual poem.

Method to use

!. Identify source text. The source can be a newspaper, a page from a book, or any written text.

2. Draw a box around keywords or phrases.

3. Make Connections between boxes. (This is optional.)

4. Color the rest in with a marker. You can use any color. The most common color used is black.

I found this style of creating a poem unique from anything I’ve ever tried before. The words are already provided, and the challenge is to make something poetic out of the text. I decided to use Mr. Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt to create these poems.

Derelict Staircase 

A glass of whiskey 
Thinning 
Smooth stream 
Sipped for a while 
A docile rasping noise 
Teeth sawing 
A more comfortable position 
Thinking again 
His imagination 
The sound 
Echoing across 
Crevices of his mind 
A grave of souls 
Obnoxious clown 
Smile twitching 
Your eyes are a 
Derelict staircase 

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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