CONCRETE POETRY

What is it? Concrete poetry is different from regular poems. Some concrete poems are just a few words, or even one word written in letters to suggest the shape of what the poem is about. Some concrete poems use individual letters or colors, shapes, or sizes to give more meaning to the poem.
Where can you see it? Visit the Children's Section of the Beaverton City Library. Look for the large bulletin boards. You will find these poems and more:
"The Concrete Cat" by Dorthi Charles
"Popsicle" by Joan Bransfield Graham
"A Seeing Poem" by Robert Froman
We got the idea from a wonderful book, A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems, written by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Chris Raschka. Our awesome volunteer display artist, Aubrey, painstakingly enlarged and traced the poetry onto bold background colors.
What can you do to create your own concrete poetry? Borrow A Poke in the I or another concrete or shape poetry book from the library. Get ideas for writing and illustrating some very unusual and eye-catching poetry! (AB)

Posted in: Creativity,Poetry