2. “Concrete poetry is sometimes called picture poetry or shape poetry. It combines poetic
writing and drawing. The form that the poem is written in mirrors the topic of the poem.
There are three traditional ways this is down: (1) the poem can follow the outline of the
object, (2) the poem can fill a shape that is the subject of the poem, or (3) the poem can
use the way words are written on the page to form an image.”
http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/assignments/poem-a-day/10.html
3. 3
Concrete Poem
• This form of poetry has been around since
the 1500s. It was originally called “Pattern
Poetry” or “Shape Poetry.”
• The term “Concrete Poem” was coined in the
1950s.
• Present an idea graphically by using the
letters and/or words to create a picture
5. 5
Form
• If you remove the form of the poem, you weaken the
poem.
• In some (though not all) Concrete Poems, the form
contains so much significant meaning of the poem that,
if you remove the form of the poem, you destroy the
poem.
• The arrangement of letters and words creates an
image that offers the meaning visually.
• The white space of the page can be a significant part of
the poem.
• The physical arrangement in a Concrete Poem can
provide a cohesion that the actual words lack. This
allows a poem to ignore standard syntax, and logical
sequencing.
6. 6
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
By Michael P. Garofalo
19. 19
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
by Tom Nagel
20. Having trouble getting started? Try a few of these sites for ideas:
http://www.wild-about-woods.org.uk/elearning/concretepoetry/
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/shape/
