The 15 Minute Poem

I agree with Steve that I seldom use the results of writing exercises. I think it might be to do with the forced nature of the subject. That said, it’s a decent method of practicing the craft and occasionally throws up something that, if not workable on its own, can be manipulated or used as a jumping off point for something more satisfying. With that in mind, here is a quick exercise which should yield a short poem which is personal to you.

STEP 1: Name the following:

Something that runs through your fingers
A secret place / favourite haunt
The last smell you noticed
A movement and a manner
A number of creatures/people
A quality of shade, light or tone
A time of day
An action
An object

So you should have a list like this:

• Hair
• Under the pier
• Pear drops
• Peering carefully
• Bundle of birds
• Striped shadows
• Late afternoon
• Tiptoeing
• Waterproof jacket

STEP 2: Now, give me seven lines of iambic pentameter (five pairs of syllables with the stress on the second syllable). You should end up with something like this:

Barnacle Roost

Hair sticks across her cheek and to her lips
She blows a pear drop cloud up to the pier
Trapped birds like bags of fruit hang in the nets
Stray wings protrude beneath the wooden planks
Point down towards her horror-frozen peer
Tiptoeing through the cemetery boughs
She pulls her jacket close; looks down, walks on.


Please post your poetry below. Feel free to change the metre, add rhyme, whatever. I can’t wait to read it.