The Writing Experiment by Hazel Smith

Example 2.16

she stoo D

in front O f the door

w O ndering

whethe R

Or you may want to turn your poem into a visual object:

Example 2.17

DOOR

OO

OA

ROAR

Example 2.18

D O O R

D O O R O

D O O R O A

O R O A R

R O A R

A R

R

These are both examples of a concrete poem: that is, a poem in which the
visual aspect largely carries the meaning(s). In Example 2.17 the poem
becomes iconic, that is, it looks like the object or event to which it refers.
It also implies, through the configuration of door/roar, the confronta-
tional aspect of standing in front of the door. In Example 2.18 the poem
becomes an intricate and visual play of letters which conveys the woman’s
agitation in a more abstract way. It is very important here that the form of
the poem marries with the meaning.

Simile and metaphor

One of the ways in which you can enrich the language of your poem is
through metaphor and simile. The basis for metaphor is one of transfer.
You describe one object in terms of another, so the metaphor time is a river
describes time in terms of a river, and the reader has to work out the
similarities between the concept of time and the object of the river. In a
simile we say that something is like something else. Metaphor and simile
are ways of extending the range of language and the way we perceive the
world; they forge new connections between seemingly unrelated objects

40 The Writing Experiment