Invisible and Old

Blitz Poetry is an interesting style of poetry with specific rules. I have written this style of poetry in the past. I thought it might be interesting to play with it again in the cold month of February. The rules make this form of poetry challenging. The rhythm of the poems created using this style depends on word choice and placement. This style of poetry, created by Robert Keim, takes thought and precision. My experience in the past is that it can sometimes feel like you are writing on a fast-moving freight train filled with words. Even the title of the poem is found within the word placement. I call this Blitz poem Invisible and Old.

The rules for writing a Blitz Poem and Invisible and Old

A Blitz Poem is 50 lines of short phrases or images

*Line 1- use a short phrase or image

*Line 2-another short phrase or image that uses the same first word as the first word of line 1.

*Lines 3 and 4-short phrase or image that uses the last word of line 2 as the first word of the line.

*Lines 5 and 6, short phrases or images using the last word from line 4 as the first word. Continue until you reach line 48 using the same pattern found in this rule as lines 5 and 6.

*Line 49 will use the first word of line 48

*Line 50 should be the last word of 47

The title should be three words long, using the first word of line 3 followed by a preposition or conjunction and then the first word of line 47.

*There should be no punctuation.

As you can see, there are many rules, but I plan to have fun with this Blitz Poetry style.

Invisible and Old

Old people have a superpower
Superpower to be invisible
Invisible to the young
Invisible to the world
World around them is unable to look
World that refuses to see
See old people as invincible
See beyond outward appearance
Appearance of the frail and the sour
Appearance that doesn’t agree
Agree with the knowledge inside
Agree with what you see at first glance
Glance at a wrinkled face
Glance at the feeble step
Step taken with great care
Step taken with a slow sped
Sped of a tortoise 
Sped of hands that tremble and shook
Shook not out of fear
Shook because of age
Age had a purpose
Age has its advantages
Advantages of going unnoticed
Advantage of being ignored
Ignored without calling attention
Ignored and not even mention
Mentioned in connection to a crime
Mentioned for an unpleasant task
Task that requires strength and vigor
Task that requires wearing a mask
Mask that hides facial features
Mask to wear when pulling triggers
Triggers that cause youth to fear
Triggers that warn of decay
Decay of muscles and bones
Decay of memory and mind
Mind that wants to deny the truth
Mind that denies we all go that way
Way of the aged after youth
Way of the grave from birth
Birth a coming into the world
Birth of a realization us
Us being fear-filled creatures
Us without powerful traits
Traits that leave us mortal
Traits that offer resistance
Resistance to what we know
Resistance to growing old
Old in mind and body
Old with a single superpower
Old…
Body….


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.

Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!

Entry 345: Sticker Shock at the Grocery Store
Keeping a journal has never been one of my strongest pursuits. I …
What I Learned from Participating in NaNoWriMo #9
I started participating in NaNoWriMo in 2014 because of a dare. Someone …
Before the Storm
In high school, I had a young teacher straight out of college. …
Entry 344: Trying to Find Time
Keeping a journal has never been one of my strongest pursuits. I …

Published by henhouselady

I am the author of Saving the Hen House. I didn't know when I started it would turn into a series. I love to ride motorcycles, the blues, my family, and going on adventures. This old hen rocks.

5 thoughts on “Invisible and Old

  1. I think this is a great poetic study on being old. I’ve experienced once or twice (so far) unkind behavior because I am old and should be invisible. But I generally don’t mind invisibility as an attribute or, as you say, superpower. Among other things, invisibility renders observation more potent. Thanks for this!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d