A quick note on format

and how it alters

How we format our poems, whether the stanza size or the line breaks we choose, can drastically alter how a poem is perceived. This is not a challenge or a prompt but instead asks you to consider how the same poem feels when formatted differently. I wrote a simple little poem to demonstrate how much aesthetics can alter a piece of writing. I will then ask some questions at the end to help you when writing your own poems.

In prose block

Couplets

Same sized stanzas

Single word lines

Frantic spacing & line breaks

The Hao Guang Tse way

Hao Guang Tse is a fantastic poet; I have written about their books before. In the collection ‘The International Left-Hand Calligraphy Association’, they even break lines in the middle of words, which creates a profound effect.

Questions

Now I have shown you a multitude of different ways in which we can format, here are some questions to consider.

Which of the formats fits the poem the best?

Which format was your favourite and why?

Which format was your least favourite and why?

Did you get different emotions for different layouts?

Let me know in the comments.