Shape Poems

Shape Poems are an unusual form of poetry, in that the arrangement of the poem’s words on the page (or screen) forms a recognisable shape or picture. It is common for the poem’s shape to reflect the poem’s theme or subject, but it is not a requirement. Some funny shape poems deliberately challenge this convention for humorous effect. So far, so simple.

It's never simple

Unfortunately, Americans have decided that shape poems should be called concrete poems. I have to say that I prefer the term shape poem, which neatly ties the poem's form to its description, so we'll stick with shape poems.

Twisted shape poems

There are two really quite distinct types of shape poetry, twisted shape poetry and true shape poetry. Twisted shape poems are easier and more fun to write, which makes them ideal for children. In the case of twisted shape poems, the words of the poem are written and then simply contorted or twisted to form the desired shape. I've turned the opening of the traditional nursery rhyme, Hey Diddle Diddle, into a shape poem so that you can see how the twisting of the words works:

Some people think that twisted shape poems are a cheat, because the same words can be twisted into almost any shape.

I must say I like twisted shape poems, because if you're unhappy with how the poem turns out first time, you can easily untwist the words and twist them into different shapes until you get the result you want.

True shape poems

True shape poems are a different kettle of fish entirely. In a true shape poem, the poet uses the poem's differing line lengths to create the desired shape. It can be a tricky and frustrating business. If you want to create a poem which rhymes and has a recognisable metre, you either need to select a fairly rectangular shape for your poem or to cheat like mad. I think it's an acceptable cheat when creating a true shape poem in a complex shape to let the start of new lines fall wherever they fall. It can also be helpful to highlight the initial letter of each line in bold or a contrasting colour so that your audience know that it's reading a poem, rather than a very short, oddly-shaped novel.

Let's have a look at an example of a true shape poem and everything should fall into place. In this case I've created a true shape poem in the shape of a man in a hat.

I've also included a riddle in the poem, just to bamboozle you a bit further. Perhaps it's time to get out your I-spy Book of Hats.