When Massive Attack release two albums in one year
When the entire Star Wars fandom universally loves a sequel
When the Catholic Church says, “actually, we’ve no problem with being queer”
When the Academy rises to applaud the Oscar for Steven Seagal
When the air is filled with the sound of giraffes in perfect chorus
And pre-schoolers in petting zoos feed bread to stegosaurus
When Smeagol surfs to safety over lakes of blazing lava
Then I, my friend, will finally stop using Adynata
This is the first poem for last year’s #NaPoWriMo. In previous years I don’t think I have managed the first week, but this year is different; this year I have A Plan.
Have you ever read Mark Forsyth’s book “The Elements of Eloquence”? For a long time I’ve been interested in the origins of language and the ways that our forefathers used it, and this book details many rhetorical devices and other figures of speech that they used.
My plan, such as it is, was to write a short poem about each of these figures. Or at least, a month’s worth of poems at any rate. It’s a way to help me improve my poetry (I am definitely well inside my first 10,000 hours of practice); learn about these linguistic devices; and practise using them in a safe, controlled environment.
Who knows, I might even write a poem worth reading at some point!
Spoiler: I managed about five before I gave up.
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