Words for light verse
 

At "Accomplished Members," Nausheen Eusuf has noted the Wordsmith website features "epigram" as the word of the day for March 10, and gives prominent play to Susan McLean's collection of translated Martial epigrams in its discussion of that word. Hooray, Susan.

Yesterday's word of the day was "clerihew," and the rest of this week will feature three more words that are names of light verse forms. Readers are invited to submit original poems in all five forms, and prizes (non-cash, alas) will be awarded.

You can read all about it here:

http://wordsmith.org/words/yester.html

Thanks for the news, Chris. I hope people will join in and send their light verse.

Susan

We have some brilliant clerihew writers among us. (You know who you are.)

And Susan is a brilliant epigram translator. Hooray for Susan.

Both Terese Coe and Sam Gwynn have written centos. And so have I now. It may not be any good but it took me ages so I'll certainly put it in and win an ice-cream. Where do we send stuff, Chris? To the guy's website.

I'd love to read it, John. Presumably it's not advisable to post entries, though.

These were the only instructions I could find:

Email your original poems to contest@wordsmith.org (include your location: city/state/country) by this Friday. Selected poems will win books, word games, or T-shirts.

(I spent considerably more time on my cento than on my clerihew, epigram, and limerick entries. Who knew that stealing from other poets was harder than coming up with your own stuff.)

We'll see if I get a tee shirt, Rob. The centos he quotes are IMO no damn good. They don't rhyme or scan. I reckon you could find Sam's quite easily. Terese's is in her (very good) book just out.

Thank you, Chris. I wonder what the last thing will be?

Thanks for the info!

Incidentally, I have Terese's book too, and I think her cento is brilliant -- and so is her rondeau for Rhina. Everyone should buy it!

Indeed they should. I got a free one signed, and just for writing stuff for the back. Best book of poetry (not counting my own, natchh) since Sam Gwynne's last.

And there is Ann's - of course there is.

Poetry is in excellent shape.

Today (Friday the 13th) is the deadline for the contest, so all five of the week's words have now been posted:

Monday -- clerihew
Tuesday -- epigram
Wednesday -- cento
Thursday -- limerick
Friday -- doggerel

The theme for the week is "poetic forms." We could tie ourselves into interesting knots debating whether it makes sense to call doggerel a form.

Just noticed this thread, and thought I should mention that the guy who runs A Word A Day is not a poet -- he's actually a computer programmer who also happens to be a logophile, and the words he sends out (you can see the archives here) usually have nothing to do with poetry. So if you're puzzled by his picks (doggerel, for instance, or the examples of centos he provides), just keep in mind that he's just a word-lover writing to other word-lovers, and not a poet making poetically astute selections. Ditto for any contest entries you send in -- it's probably not a good idea to send things that are highly literary or allusive or formally intricate or whatever. My suggestion would be to send material that would appeal to a highly intelligent lay reader who might not be well versed in poetry.

With that caveat out of the way, I do hope some Sphereans manage to snag a T-shirt or a book. Good luck!

Nausheen

That's the sort of stuff I write anyway. I didn't send a very filthy limerick involving a wolf-cub and Akela. Probably just as well. I think literary people are much more dirty-minded than computer programmers.

John, I am both a "literary person" and a computer programmer, and I can assure you that the eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, a filthier mind than mine.

But, Brian, it is your literary side which wallows in filth. Here are the rhymes of the disgusting limerick. It is easily reconstructed.

sixer,
prick, sir,
bum.
come.
thick, sir

Meanwhile I am off to pray.

John and Gail, I'm chuffed by your more than kind words about Shot Silk. Many thanks!

And these threads are always a cool respite from serious poems--John and Brian funny as owls with swivel heads who do *not* puncture people with their claws (recent news of owl attacks)! I can't find a word for stinging or shadowy light verse either (satire only works for satire, obvs), but "light" doesn't always apply.