The Mirror

This is another exercise poem to experiment with iambic pentameter, trochaic substitution and pyrrhic substitution. I'm not entirely happy with it, but it shows the techniques.

THE MIRROR (13 November, 2008)

I have a small mirror upon my wall
Its frame was once gilded, now worn away
I stare at my face and wonder of those-
those faces this mirror has seen before.

Are they still there? In part - as an echo
Will I see them if I look hard enough?
What did they see as they looked at themselves?
And do they see me as I search for them?

(c) Lillian Martin

Poetry Exercise Number 2

So I'm working my way through a book by Stephen Fry called 'The Ode Less Travelled' which has some great information on writing poetry and techniques - none of which anybody bothered to teach me in school. Here is one of the exercises I wrote to get a feel for iambic pentameter, one of the basics of writing English poetry (again, don't exactly remember ever being taught this fundamental, but then, I only completed Grade 12, a Bachelor of Arts degree and Grad. Dip in Library Science).

POETRY EXERCISE NUMBER 2 (10 November, 2008)

The laundry basket needs putting away
But I cannot face that horror today
The constant soiling and cleaning all day
When all I want is to go out and play

(c) Lillian Martin