Poetry Break: Unusual Form

"Technically, it’s not my fault: concrete poems", by John Grandits is my pick for poetry in unusual form. This book you will find covers both unusual form and unrhymed poetry using the words to illustrate the book. The poems are all written with the words forming pictures both figuratively and literally. The poem I chose uses linguine to spell out the first line of the poem on a plate. In other areas of the book the words form stairs, blades of grass, and of course the concrete block which opens the treasures featured in the book.

I had the pleasure to work with Joann Grandits, children’s librarian, so including John’s book was a natural and easy choice for me. All of us, in the Ocean County Library system were so excited when the book came out in 2004 and passed the copies around from department to department.

While exploring this book with children it would be so easy to have them to pick any of the poems within and have them connect, discuss and create.

Stop Playing with Your Food!

I

HATE

L I N G U I N I

I ONLY like spaghetti.

It’s exactly the same, Robert. Pasta is pasta. By the way, your spelled linguine wrong.

I don’t care. It’s flat and it’s stupid.

Put some tomato sauce on it, you’ll never know the difference.

I already know the difference! I’m just going to leave it plain so I can hate it more.

So I’ve been sitting here for an hour because I have to eat everything on my plate.

Grandits, John. 2004. Technically, it’s not my fault: concrete poems. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.