Constraints

I. Vowel O

Swoon.

Flow down

long, sloshing,

swooping spools

of cotton

pompoms

to pool

sof rosy blossoms.

Swoon,

smooch on

rooftops.

Do not worry of

Groggy snobs or

Snoopy slogs, or

Smoky sloths,

Or words or honks

Or Hollywood

Or homonyms, or

voodoo too!

Do not copy

Common crowds, or

Follow down

Jocky clowns.

Good off, howl!

Bop, bolt, romp,

Rock groovy ponchos

Smooch stocky hobos

Spoofs, spoons,

Typos!

Howl! Go bold!

Go wrong,

Grow.

Grow worldly

Snort snow

Bloom fondly.

Go solo.

Go slow.

Only

stop

for

joy.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

II. Neologisms Poem

Sarchasm

Soth amd chaska

choile chimbo coods

Reechads!

Choile Chimbo

coods Arbwah

gno-gnos

fatzah

destinesia,

swerd snally, ort

afully-schlompfkt tremm.

Whoy oun eaeth, thrang-steep

rectitude, yowyeel

harf soth amd chees

coods tist serna

amd ensi

ine tmesis! Makrugh

choile chimbo,

coods harf neener belk eaethier!

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Chocolate chip cookies are a go-to favorite dessert, sweet snack, or after-school treat. With our easy, three-step recipe, you’ll have soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies to serve and enjoy in no time! Making chocolate chip cookies has never been easier.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. Pronouns Plus

Pre To Won: Lift Off

Pre

Betwixt

Amidst

Opposite.

Lest, like

Between,

Besides

Absent.

On, off

Outside, barring

Past pace regarding

Following

Despite

Failing

Pre Prepped

Betwixt tangled

Amidst mangled

Opposite.

Lest lovely, like bubbly

Between crisscrossed

Besides flailing

Absent.

On dizzying, off spinning

Outside hideous, barring mocking

Past pace fruitful, regarding

Following yellow

Despite

Failing

Pre Prepped Prepositions

Betwixt tangled stockings

Amidst mangled laughter

Opposite shadows.

Lest lovely headbands, like bubbly patterns

Between crisscrossed hop-scotch

Besides flailing toe-socks

Absent gallows.

On dizzying whirls, off spinning girls

Outside hideous demons, barring mocking claws

Past pace fruitful blossoms, regarding rock bottom.

Following yellow curls

Despite

Failing

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IV. Eight by Eight

Fooey, for I stepped directly in muddy puddles.

But during delicious dinners, gee, he eats noisily.

Uh-oh, for wicked birds viciously fly near me!

Ugh, chubby Charles and she trudged slowly through.

And minus difficult tests, shame, she rarely fails.

La-di-dah, delightful melodies gently ease into my cells.

Boo-hoo, unless I sink immediately into foamy suds.

Yet despite horror movies, wow, he never worries.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

V. Twenty Words Poem

Two zero.

Graphic, on, abrasive, hairy, that, lavender, fountains, coasts, burn, visions, gamble, and, bootleggers, germs, ceaselessly, saccharine, of, haunt, the, molecular.

Abrasive, hairy germs

gamble on molecular graphics,

and saccharine visions of

lavender fountains that burn coasts

ceaselessly haunt

the bootleggers.

Twenty

Visions of saccharine, lavender coasts

burn the hairy bootleggers that

gamble on molecular germs,

abrasive graphics, and

haunting ceaseless fountains.

Twhente

eSaccharine fountains that burn

lavender visions on ceaseless coasts

haunt molecular germs and

gambling bootleggers.

Hairy graphics of the abrasive.

*used this random word generator: http://www.textfixer.com/tools/random-words.php

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VI: Alphabet Poems

Abandoned Bedside Conundrums

Awkwardly

Bunched covers

drown each forgotten

gesture.

Hide intimate jests,

kill lingering memories.

Now only painful questions

Remain.

Spaces throb.

Unsettled voids.

Wallowing, xenic,

Yellow zones.

Forget Me Not(e)s

Xeroxed copies of

Your paper heart

flood my bathtub.

Wrinkled, ink-stained

Remnants strewn across

Dusty linoleum tiles.

Questions unanswered.

Every knowing glance

Now vaquished

.Just

Zapped.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VII: Own Constraint: Pie in 50 Digits

3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510

Apple Pie

And a bite I enjoy; sprinkled in sugars, tasty nut woven lattices abounding Benonis, cinnamons, and on top, caramels dust strips of crusts, tart and red Winesaps run in drizzled estuaries along landscapes of buttered streusel with a delicious filling. A nutmeg spattered and delicious crumbling rim, pointed edges. O traditions!

Pie Chart

Now I plot a graph, expressed in ratios using the curve equation, fractions showing intervals. And of the datasets used, shades of colors fill the arc sections, and by percent represent given proportion. It embodies circular area: a perimeter formula. A visual, spherical orb correctly organized can display facts I calculated.

Pizza Pie

Eat I will, a pizza, pepperoni in sauces, gouda and bacon stuffing sourdough, chopped sausages one by one plopping past mouths in hunger. With oil and tomatoes, big on ricotta, provolone, spicy prosciutto: an Italian’s favorite with a Roquefort topping. I prefer brick-oven, and pineapple sprinkled pie, oregano, basil: a Margherita!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary:

Using constraints was very time-consuming, but also quite rewarding. I really enjoy using logic and am fascinated by subjects like Statistics. I felt these exercises had an analytical, logical element to them, since I had to follow strict patterns and regulations. Nevertheless, my final products were very creative and refreshing. For example, in my first poem “Swoon,” I only used words with the vowel “O.” Even though I had to follow a very mechanical rule, I felt that the poem acquired a unique vibe, and that the letter “O” gave my piece a jocular, upbeat rhythm. In my second piece, I strive to portray this odd correlation between the mechanical and the nonsensical. I transformed each word in a simple, formulaic recipe for chocolate chip cookies into a neologism. I also altered the structure into free-flowing verse to make the piece seem less like a set of directions. I used a neologism, “Sarchasm,” for the title of the piece as well, which means “the gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.” I feel this title captures the essence of the poem, and portrays my effort to bridge the gap between the rational and the nonsensical. My fourth piece was definitely the most difficult for me to write, and probably the one I am least proud of. I would say this piece is less of a cohesive poem and more of a conglomeration of awkward and unrelated sentences. However, I would say writing this poem was quite useful, in that it got me thinking about the way I arrange prose and structure my sentences.

Lastly, because I enjoyed using constraints so much, I decided to try one that wasn’t on the list. For this final piece, I based the length of each word I used on the sequence of digits in pi. I was a bit meta in my subject matter and decided to literally write about different types of pies (since pi day was over break—March 14th.) This constraint was extremely fun to try out, and it was particularly enjoyable writing about such delicious foods.

Experimental Writing

2014

ENGL 111