by Dana Guthrie Martin
We all know different vowel sounds convey different emotions. They sit differently in the mouth, resonate differently throughout the body, and serve to raise or lower our energy as we speak, read and hear them.
“Ooooh baby! Ooooh yeah baby!” would not be at all the same if it were “Eeee baby! Eeee Eeee Baby!” Instead of reeling in a love interest, we would send him or her scurrying for the nearest chair or countertop, afraid we had seen a mouse. The “eeeeeeeeeeee” sound is nasally, weak and geekish, while the “ooooooooo” sound is low and wraps around our loins like a rubber flotation device in a swimming pool on a hot summer’s day.
What do I mean, you ask? How am I supposed to know? I think it’s something like this: Pick one vowel sound and exploit it throughout your poem. Whatever mood you want to convey, rely on that vowel sound to convey it. Each line of your poem should contain your chosen vowel sound at least once, and preferably more than once.
To give you something to get started with, here are two great poems that deal in Os: “Ab Ovo,” by Joseph Brodsky (even his name is full of Os) and “The Want Bone,” by Robert Pinsky. (No, it’s not about that, silly.)
Why not try your hand at a poem full of As or Es or Is or Os or Us for that matter (but probably not Ys). Go ahead. Do it. I double-dog dare you. Oh drats! That tagline’s already taken by Carolee and Jill. Fine. Just get your poem on already.
Update: Doh! I forgot the part where I remind everyone to ***wait until we post the Get Your Poem On post*** before leaving your links for this prompt. If you leave links to your work on this post, we will remove them, email you and remind you to refrain from posting links here. (Once one person does it, everyone is suddenly doing it. And then it’s anarchy. Anarchy, I tell you!
Dana Guthrie Martin is the founder of Read Write Poem. She writes things and stuff. Most of the time, her things and stuff happen to be poetry, or at least they call themselves poetry. She has a robot named Feldman. He’s writing a book of poems.
I wonder which vowel robots like most. It must be “u,” since robots are all about you and your needs.
I shall have to begin amassing “u” words. I hope I can manage to work in “uvula.”
Great prompt Dana. I can’t wait to make something with it.
How about if, while watching fireworks we said “iiiiiiiiiii,” “uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu,” instead of “oooooooooooooooooooo,” “aaaaaaaaaah” ?
Dana Guthrie Martin replied:
August 7th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
You should try that next year.
EEEEEKKKKKK!!!!!!
This is a very interesting prompt. I think it’s challenging enough trying to decide what emotion or feeling it brought about by a constant vowel sound that I don’t even need to write a poem to feel accomplished.
But I will write a poem just the same.
This is my first time EVER trying anything like this! At first I thought it would be too “hard” for a lousy poet like myself, but have really enjoyed it. The poem is turning out horrible as far as poetry goes, but I think I have been able to sustain a feeling. What do we do with them when we are finished? (I know, burn them!)
Dana Guthrie Martin replied:
August 7th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Cynthia, did you get my email? The links will be left on *next* Thursday’s Get Your Poem On post, which will appear in the main (wide left) column on this site — where this post appears.
Dana, what a great prompt! A such a creative way to remind us poets how we’re instrumentless musicians, stringing words together like musical notes on staff.
Can I just say I love the URL for this post?
Oh, oh, oh…this sounds like fun!
very interesting prompt! thank you
I’ve never tried my hand at writing such a poem and your prompt has my Muse excited by the challenge. Thank you!
I just unintentionally wrote a poem with “o”s in every line. I am stoked! I don’t know that they register sonically the way I’d like, because the “o” isn’t necessarily in important words in each line or the dominant sound in the line. But I obviously had this prompt in my head when I was writing.
Dana Guthrie Martin replied:
August 7th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Sad. My poem just has bunches of vowels in it. It’s not special.
Suzanna K replied:
August 8th, 2009 at 9:37 am
I never got a chance to write today. The site where I generally post my work has been down due to technical problems and I spent the majority of my day frustrated and willing it to work.
Perhaps your poem is special in its own way.
We can be our hardest critic.
Dana Guthrie Martin replied:
August 9th, 2009 at 1:06 am
Suzanna, my poem smiled when I told it you said it was special in its own way.
What a difference a A. makes.
Q. Do you love me?
Answer:
a) I love you
b) I dont love you
c) What do you mean?
d) Y
Dana Guthrie Martin replied:
August 7th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Hi Takakow. Please wait until the Get Your Poem On post this coming Thursday before posting a link to your work. I added a note to the post about this, too. Thank you!
Takakow replied:
August 8th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Thanks for polite reply but cant help feeling a little dissapointed with the feeling of control. Enjoyed the brief spring here but obviusly need to find another tribe.
Good luck
Love and Energy
Takakow.
Dana Guthrie Martin replied:
August 9th, 2009 at 1:00 am
Takakow, when everyone starts leaving links here, the whole situation gets confused for new people. And there are lots of new people here. (We saw this happen on the old Read Write Poem site and when I was co-managing Poetry Thursday.) Our other option is to close comments on the prompt posts, but there is such great communication in the comments that we don’t want to do that. This is all detailed in our About pages, in our navigation bar.
I hope you will reconsider and not see this as an attempt to control. We are trying to create the best user experience possible, for everyone, and that includes keeping the interface as clean and clear as possible. Asking people to leave their link on the same post consistently also ensures everyone will see your work because they will be looking at the correct post for those links to work.
LOL. I am so amused with not only this post but also the comments ensued from it. I need the laugh after such a difficult semester’s worth of summer school! Taking 2 classes at once is highly not recommended, I tell ya.
1) I agree with Dave. I noticed the URL of this post, too. I heart it.
2) Feldman, I’d love to read your “u” poem, especially if “uvula” is incorporated. That’ll be hilarious!
3) Now that you mentioned it, Dana, “e” sounds rather geeky and nasal.
Hmm, I’m gonna play with vowels later and see which one I want to write an ode to.
Dana Guthrie Martin replied:
August 9th, 2009 at 1:07 am
I thought Dave was being sarcastic about liking the URL.
P.S. Did I mention already that I’m digging this prompt?
That’s the way all my vowels sound. A short “e” is one with only three syllables.
Dana Guthrie Martin replied:
August 9th, 2009 at 1:08 am
So you are a dolphin then. I knew it!
Barbara replied:
August 9th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Not aquatic, southern.
Courtesy of Alvin and the Chipmunks
ooh ee ooh ahah
bing bang wallawalla bingbang
ooh ee ooh ahah
bing bang wallawalla bangbang
Some ancient mariner might remember this
Barbara replied:
August 9th, 2009 at 9:24 am
I TOLD the witch doctor that what was old would soon enough be new again.
a b, c d fishy?
l m n o fishy.
o s a r a fishy!
o c d p d fishy.
I blame hooked on phoenics for everything. EVERYTHING.
Dana Guthrie Martin replied:
August 12th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
“I blame hooked on phoenics for everything. EVERYTHING.”
As you should.
Ohh, I am so using the Ohhhhh…. Not for the sexual connotation, but because my character in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (and no, I am not Maggie, too old for that) Says “OH!” constantly. One of my lines is “Oh, Big Daddy, Oh, Oh, Oh Big Daddy” and when I told my friends their eyes were as wide as O’s and they asked what the heck that scene involved?!
I decided Mr. Williams (as in Tennessee) may have meant O’s to be big gulps of breath, so as an actor, that is what Big Mama and I are doing.
For this prompt, I will just hang out and chant Oh, Oh, Oh and see what comes as a result.
Great prompt!
Not only am I going to try and follow the prompt, it’s going to be a sestina.Why? Don’t ask me! Hope it’ll be done by Thursday!
Dana Guthrie Martin replied:
August 12th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Crazy undertaking!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANA!!!!
Dana Guthrie Martin replied:
August 12th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
This prompt makes me think of a pair of prayers in the Jewish morning liturgy. The Yotzer Or blessing praises the creator (and creation) of light, and it’s full of “oh” sounds — yOtzer Or u-vOrei chOshech, Oseh shalOm u-vO-rei et-hakOl. It’s followed by the Ahavah Rabbah blessing, which praises the God of love, and it’s full of “ah” — sounds — AhAvAh rAbbAh AhAvtAnu, yAh eloheinu… It leads to a lovely sense of “Ohhhh…” and then “Ahhhh” as we work our way through the morning blessings.
Dana Guthrie Martin replied:
August 12th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
That’s wonderful, Rachel. Thanks for sharing it.
Inspired by other bloggers, I tried this poem activity #87for the first time today. I used ooooooooo. It was fun and you have wonderful poetry ideas! This is an inspiring site. Thank you.