I love rediscovering the various forms of poetry. Acrostic poetry is one of my favorite forms. Acrostic is defined as “a composition usually in verse in which sets of letters (as the initial or final letters of the lines) taken in order form a word or phrase or a regular sequence of letters of the alphabet” (via Merriam-Webster).
Basically, the beginning letter of each line must then spell out a word when you put them all together. Clever, eh? I was inspired to create my own acrostic piece, which I have shared after the jump.
Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass is a well-known story that ends with an acrostic poem that shares the name of Carroll’s muse, Alice, who inspired what is more famously named Alice in Wonderland). Here’s his acrostic, titled “A Boat, Beneath a Sunny Sky.”
A Boat, Beneath a Sunny Sky
A boat, beneath a sunny sky
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July –
Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear –
Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.
Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.
Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.
In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream –
Lingering in the golden gleam –
Life, what is it but a dream?
——
Alright! Without further ado, here’s my hand at acrostic poetry.
The Temple Tree
Falling for the scents of summer, we are lured back to the Temple Tree. We are
relishing each passing second, lazily lying with our backs against the trunk
as we realize the sun has already rolled past ten… eleven… and suddenly
noon is hours behind us. The sun begins her descent, sinking low and slow, low and slow.
Gone soon will be her enchanting rays; her transition to twilight
is inevitable. The day will end, but we will not.
Plumeria accents the summer breeze as you tuck the flower behind my right lobe,
all while the luminous rays begin to bleed into the horizon.
Night has crept in; the starlit canopy and sounds of a summer night lull us
into a sweet slumber, tangled beneath our Temple Tree.
——–
Feedback is always welcome – did you make the connection? Feel free to compose one of your own and share it in the comments!