How to Make Up a Language for Poetry
- 1). Think of a metaphor for poetry that is related to building, architecture, music or art, and is a subject whose terminology you already know well. For example, if you are an artist, perhaps choose the vocabulary of painting or drawing. Use a pencil and write down this subject on your paper.
- 2). Glance at the first term in your poetic glossary. If the word is "meter," for example, think of a term from your chosen subject that could correspond to it. Meter is the undercurrent, the backbone, the drumbeat of the poem. If your chosen subject is music, you might choose "rhythm," "beat" or "count" to substitute for the poetic term. If your subject is architecture, you might choose "scaffolding."
- 3). Go to the next word in your poetic glossary. If the term is "imagery," think of a term from your chosen subject that expresses a similar phenomenon. If you chose art, you might use "figure," "sketch," "picture" or any number of terms. If you chose architecture, you might use "blueprint" or another related word.
- 4). Continue down your list of poetic vocabulary. For each word or group of related words, think of a phenomenon or practice from your chosen discipline that corresponds to the poetic term in front of you. For example, poems are created as structures that must build on previous parts and be interconnected to form a whole. Various components are necessary to make this happen. The structure of a poem could connect to the structure of a bridge, a piece of music or a painting. Find the metaphor that works best for you and apply it to poetry.
- 5). Write down an explication of your new "language" when you have gone through the list. Explain why the language of painting or music corresponds to that of poetry, and how the phenomena are similar and different. Explaining your linguistic "theory" will help you to better understand the connections you have made.
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