Sunday, October 16, 2011

Day 138: Shakespeare's High School Poetry... On Bzzt, Pop, Smack

Cacophony is a technique used by Lewis Carroll, author of the whimsical Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass, in the poem "Jabberwocky." This poetry type refers to the use of words that combines sharp, harsh, hissing, or unmelodious spoken sounds created by clashing consonants to help make the reader imagine noise.

As a writer, I knew I'd have trouble with this technique because I'd be striving for ugly sounds, but looked forward to the challenge. But I didn't expect that my teeth would hurt as I was forming these ugly sounds. I'll be glad when this one's over.

Impossible Escape

Bzzt, bzzt, smack
Bzzt, bzzt, smack
Bzzt, pop, smack bzzt
Bzzt, pop, smack.
The fly tries
And fails
And tries
And fails
To whiz over to the lush gardens.
To whoosh through the crisp air.
To find and plop atop on a tasty snack.
It's in sight
Right within reach.
Too bad its compound eyes
Can't see glass.
Bzzt.
Pop.
Smack.

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