WEEK 8 – THEME AND GENRE

Theme

A theme is a unifying idea that is developed throughout a story. It differs from the subject of the story and is the subtle message or underlying issue you wish to convey to your reader, without seeming to ‘preach’.

It is common in stories for children is to have a moralistic theme.

Teenage and YA (Young Adult) books often have Romance, Friendship or Teenage Angst as the theme, although lately, Surviving Mental Health and Living with a Chronic Illness have also featured.

Chick Lit generally has Finding True Love as the theme

Other common themes are: space, relationships, power and control, friendship, adventure, conflict, betrayal…

Sometimes a theme reveals itself.

You don’t necessarily have to write with a theme in mind when start your first draft.  Re-reading your story for the first time, may reveal its point (theme), if you didn’t write with one in mind. It could be something unexpected – a subconscious idea that you hadn’t managed to clarify, but somehow came out in your narrative (it happens!). Your job then is to strengthen the theme using subtle hints in characterisation and dialogue, so that the narrative hangs together. On the other hand, if theme is too obvious, it may need toning down so that it fades into the background.

Do not confuse Theme with Genre.

Genre

Genre is the commercial category your story fits within and often defines the style, length and to a degree, the language or writing style used.

A reader will often have a preference for a particular genre of book and will have certain expectations of it. If an author steps too far away from the expected norms of that genre – for example, if Paranormal Romance fails to have any spookiness to it, or if a Chick Lit novel doesn’t supply a happy ending, then many of its readers will be disappointed. 

Some common genres are:

Classic genres:

Tragedy

Tragic comedy

Fantasy

Mythology

Adventure

Mystery

Major genres:

Science fiction

Crime

Drama

Romance

Action / Adventure

Satire / Dark humour

Horror

Newer Genres:

Fan fiction

LGBT Erotica

Speculative fiction

Dystopian

Cozy mystery



These are certainly not the only categories – there are loads more.

When you browse for a book on Amazon, you will see the genre categories listed on the left hand side of the screen (and sometimes across the top of the page).

There are categories and sub-categories of genre and the lists are extensive. Here is an example of the sub-categories under Crime, Thrillers & Mystery:

Action & Adventure

Anthologies

British Detectives

Hard-Boiled

Historical

Legal

Medical

Mystery

Police Procedurals

Political

Psychological

Series

Sherlock Holmes

Short Stories

Spy Stories

Technothrillers

Thrillers

Women Sleuths

When you write a short story or a novel, it is worth being familiar with the genre you are planning to writing in – take a look at other books within that genre, even if you just look them up on Amazon and read the back cover (sometimes books will have a ‘Look inside’ feature which allows you to read the first few pages).

Theme and genre exercise

Think of some books you have recently read and see if you can work what their themes and genre are.

For example:

Harry Potter sits in the Fantasy genres. According to the author, one of its main themes is Death. Other themes prevalent throughout the series are; Good v Evil, Friendship and Love.

My novella, Crime and Cremation is in the Crime and Dark Humour genres. The theme is – How far can good morals stretch?

My teen novel, FREEN: The First Truth is in the YA and Science Fiction genres. The theme was – Do people really want to know the truth?

New genre exercise

We tend to stick with what we know, and indeed, the recommended advice is to write what you know BUT, if you don’t try writing in different, less comfortable genres, how will you ever know if they might suite you really well.

Read through the nine different genres below, then, take a deep breath and pick a genre; one that you have never tried before – perhaps one that really scares you, and write a 500 to 1500 word story in it. Try several, if you fancy it.

Note: Don’t forget to plot your story using the 5 finger pitch method from week 1.

Gothic

Romanticised horror (or death or mystery) popularised in the Victorian era. Lots of skirting around the issue using flowery, overly-dramatic, romantic language set against a bleak and haunting backdrop. Lots of internal thoughts of monologues.

(The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole – 1764, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë – 1847, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde – 1890, Dracula by Bram Stoker – 1897)

Science Fiction

Hi-tech new worlds, new technology, new science, new structure and lots of terminology including new ways to travel. Can be set on earth or on another planet, or even in another dimension.

(1984 by George Orwell, Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Dune by Frank Herbert, Watchers by Dean Koontz)

fantasy

Complex new world orders in fictional worlds – frequently medieval in style. Fantastical characters, usually in complex hierarchies. Often inspired by folk stories and myths. Magic or supernatural events. New ways of doing things.

(Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling, Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin, Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell)

Horror

A story that builds on the reader’s sense of fear. Usually begins in a happy, normal place then builds to knife-edge suspense culminating in horrific events. Atmosphere and sense of emotional dread. Tense moments that amount to nothing and other people not believing there is anything untoward going on, although there is often a character who does know and gives hints or warns off the main character. Does not necessarily need to contain lots of blood, gore and death.

(Bird Box by Josh Malerman, Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice, The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, Pet Sematary by Stephen King, Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin)

Dystopian

Definition: Relating to or denoting an imagined state or society
where there is great suffering or injustice.

Complex story arcs, fear, impending doom and disbelief. Conspiracies abound. Either a world going into dystopia, or an already dystopian world with a bleak backdrop. Everything changes and survival is key; usually fighting against oppressive authority.

(Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Animal Farm by George Orwell)

Paranormal / Ghost stories

Often starts with everyday life, builds up slowly with little things that seem incidental until the characters begin to realise they are intentional – then building on that to create fear and tension, usually before slowly revealing the ghostly or paranormal cause. Set in a spooky abandoned building, a historical house or ancient site. Paranormal romance is a sub-genre of ghost stories which has become incredibly popular.

(Ghost Story by Peter Straub, The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson, Dark Matter, By Michelle Paver, The Woman in White by  Wilkie Collins)

Thriller

Begins with action and escalates to become something that must be escaped – a roller coaster of action, fear and tension culminating in an often violent resolution. The purpose of a thriller is to induce the strongest emotional responses possible.

(The ‘Jack Reacher’ series by Lee Child, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Widow by Fiona Barton, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, The Hunt for Red October of by Tom Clancy, A Time to Kill by John Grisham)

Mystery

The scene is set and the mystery is introduced, ensued by a hunt for clues, with everything coming together and the odd ‘red herring’ (a fact, idea, or subject that takes people’s attention away from the central point being considered) thrown in to misdirect. A final build-up to the big reveal.

(The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Firm, John Grisham)

Historical Fiction

Often detailed descriptions, dialogue is spattered with older language. Full of rich story-telling and ‘time-anchors’ to enable the reader to really understand the timings. Characters can be historical or fictional. Requires dedicated research by the author to ensure all details are correct for the set period.

 (The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan, Caravans by James A. Michener, The Night Watch by Sarah Waters)

I would love to see your different genre stories, please do post them in the comments below.

BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF MOUNTAIN KILIMANJARO

Flying from Nairobi to Dar Es Salaam,
Brought me to a wonderful Bird’s eye viewpoint.
Where; Radial and Folded Ice edges,
Open, Round Inner Crater’s ash pit,
And IceCrowned Crests,
Unveiled the beauty of Mountain Kilimanjaro.
I have never been this Lucky Before,
And I have just seen this much snow.

In the middle of that glance,
I almost asked my pilot to stop for a while;
A Sparkling Icecape higher than some Clouds,
Slowly moving glacier River, a steep Icewall,
And brown braided Valleys along Mountain’s slopes,
Unveiled the Uniqueness of Mountain Kilimanjaro.
Again, I have never been this lucky before,
And I have just seen this much snow.

Poem by James K. Mbazi

Note from James K. Mbazi. This Poem is a result of an Inspirational tweet from former Tanzanian President Hon.Dr. JM Kikwete. In a statement where he described how excited he was, to have a glance which he then called Bird’s Eye View of the Mountain Kilimanjaro . So it hooked me and in few weeks later I worked on it and here is the poem.

Copyright@ James K. Mbazi 2020

5 THINGS THE NEW INDIE AUTHOR NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT BOOK CONSTRUCTION

I often start off my self-publishing workshops by talking about how a book is constructed, because most new authors haven’t really thought about it. It is information you really need to know, if you intend to self-publish your book in paperback format.

Book dimensions

Books come in all sorts of sizes – often, depending on their genre. Visit any bookstore or library (with your ruler) and see how different books measure up. If you plan to self-publish your book, you will probably want it to be of similar dimensions to other successful books of similar types, because this is what the reader is used to and generally, expects. Plus, you’ll want it to fit neatly on the shelf with other similar books.

The width of the spine is dictated by the number of pages in the book.

When I wrote my teen science-fiction novel, FREEN, I used the same dimensions as a series of teen spy books I had been reading and really liked.

If you are self-publishing through Amazon KDP, they have a number of pre-set, industry standard book sizes for you to choose from. You can select a custom size, but I don’t recommend this, as it will add to your print costs (and deduct from your profits).

The cover

A paperback cover is designed as a single, flat image that is wrapped around the finished book. It is printed on a larger sheet and trimmed to size. The cover image must always ‘bleed’ a little over the cutting line to make sure there aren’t any unprinted slithers at the edges.

This is what a cover template looks like from Amazon. You can enter your chosen book dimensions and number of pages to download a template the right size for your book. 

Here’s a link to the KDP Cover templates

Images that you use to make your cover must be of a high quality, like a photograph of over 300dpi.

dpi means dots-per-inch and is the number of dots of colour that are used to make an image – the less dots, the less defined the image.

The interior

A book is made of left and right hand pages. The margins are most often set at a value of around 1.27 cm for the top, bottom and outer margin of each page.

The inner margin, where the left and right hand pages meet, will often have a ‘gutter’ of about 0.5 to 0.7 cm added to the margin to allow for the binding that pinches the pages together and creates a shadow, which would make it difficult to read the words if they were too close to it.

You can, of course, choose any margin settings to suit your book.

A word about illustrated books

If you plan to have your book illustrated, it is essential that you decide on what sort of size your book will be before you draw or employ an illustrator, because you will need to know the aspect ratio of the images and how they are going to sit amongst the text.

A traditional size paperback will need taller images (if they are to be full page) than a wider, more extensively illustrated children’s book.

It seems obvious, but many new authors commission illustrations and then find they are too wide, or short for the page and end up having to compromise them.

Be smart and plan ahead

Even if you are just starting out, or still in the middle of writing your masterpiece, it is good to start looking at books from from the point of view of an author. See what you like, what you don’t like and most importantly, what the reading public like!

UNTITLED

You’re not alone
but everybody’s gone,
In the past tomorrow never come
Set the goal who will you become,
Wise man has spoken
Travel through space, sun and moon,
Breathing fast it’s still not too late
Realise don’t depend on fate,
The real sincerity the main simplicity
Day and night black and white..

Poem by Ean S

Copyright © 2020 Ean S

ANGLES OF MIRAGE

I nearly burst out crying but I was too short scared to. I’d been frozen to hit with fright.

‘Whatever are you going to do?’ Flicka asked in a quavery voice.

‘I am going to get killed, that’s what,’ I quavered back.

We stared at the disaster area in front of us. Bits of icing lay like snow over half the dining-room, the little bride and groom had nosedived onto the carpet and the columns that had supported the top two tiers had rolled under the table.

The front door bell went again but I could only flap my hands and make squeaky panic noises.

‘What shall we do?’ Flicka asked urgently. ‘Try to pick it up and stick it together?’

‘Don’t… don’t know…’ I stammered.From upstairs came a yell from Gillian demanding that I go and answer the door.

Story by Vincent Omondi

Copyright © 2020 Vincent Omondi

WHAT A SURPRISE!!

They hold on bedsitter.
Often he didn’t soak it.
He sponged it inside what a surprise!

Tears of joy of love.
It is all not about sex.
Her bumpy boobs wrecking.
She was conquered by King.
What a surprise?

She appeared whole at eye
She was somehow blondy
Her skin, chocolate mommy’s
What a surprise!

Drinking palm springs all over.
He purred on her
Lips.
What a surprise!

Poem by Vincent Omondi

Copyright © 2020 Vincent Omondi

WEEK 7 – WHAT TURNS WORDS INTO POETRY?

How does a poem differ from ordinary prose? Poems with rhyming lines and obvious rhythm are easy to recognise, but words can still be a poem without these elements.  

For me, it is in the moulding of the words. A poem that has had work done to it – like a lump of clay that is roughly formed into the shape of a vase and then painstakingly worked on until it is perfect, lovingly fired and adorned with colour.

I recommend you visit the websites below to read different types of poems and to also hear them being read aloud (Poetry Foundation). Poems are designed to be heard – they often make more sense when they are read aloud; indeed, learning how to read poetry is a skill in itself and if you get a chance to go to an ‘open mic poetry night’, you will probably hear the marked difference between poets who simply read their poems out loud and those who ‘perform’ them.

www.poetryfoundation.org/learn

www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/list-of-50-poetic-forms-for-poets

The (optional) ingredients of a poem

A message or a story

A poem often has a message; be it political, personal or satirical. Or it can be a story, a moral, or an observation.

Two examples of poems that tell stories are Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe and Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Lots of poems for children contain morals. A slightly gruesome example is Matilda by Hilaire Belloc which explains the importance of telling the truth.

Form or structure

Poems often have a form; a set structure, such as rhyming pairs of lines, or a specific rhyme scheme, a pattern of repeating lines, a set number of syllables per line and a specific line count for each stanza (verse). Sometimes they have an actual physical shape (a concrete poem), like a Christmas tree, or anything really.

Quick reminder:

A syllable is a part of a word that has a single vowel sound and is said as a single unit – for example, TREE has only one syllable, FALLING has two FALL-ING, INTERNAL has three IN-TER-NAL and INSTITUTIONAL has five IN-STI-TU-TION-AL.

Rhyme scheme (or none)

Many popular poems rhyme, but the taste for rhyming comes and goes and currently, it is out of fashion (which is a shame, because I love to rhyme!). However, the reason many poems remain popular is because of their memorable and pleasing rhymes. 

Rhythm

Like a song with a defining drum beat, many poems have a rhythm that is intentionally set by writer. The most well-known of these is the IAMBIC PENTAMETER, used by Shakespeare; which is the use of alternating stressed and unstressed syllables that make the poem lines read with a ‘da-dum, da-dum, da-um, da-dum, da-dum beat.

This the first (and probably, most famous) line from William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, showing the stressed syllables in bold:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Style

The style, or ‘voice’ of a poem will often match the subject – unusual ‘turns of phrase’ can be used, as well as made-up words strange pronunciations and all sorts. You can really mess around with language in a poem.

Punctuation and Line breaks

In a poem, a sentence can be broken up into several lines – even mid-sentence to make it fit the ‘form’ or chosen rhyme-scheme. A line break can also work as punctuation, because the reader will naturally pause at the end of a line (unless you direct them not to, when it is performed).

For example, in this poem extract from my production, The Death and Life of the Hippodrome, one sentence is broken into four lines, to force it to fit the eleven syllables per-line form that I chose:

It was commonly known that sailors in need

Of earning some money, were sure to succeed

To gain a small income from pulling the ropes

At local playhouses, not far from their boats

However, when this poem is performed, it is read as one sentence: 

It was commonly known that sailors in need of earning some money were sure to succeed, to gain a small income from pulling the ropes at local playhouses, not far from their boats.

Some poems have punctuation (commas, full-stops, etc…), some have none. In modern poetry, either is fine. The key is to ensure the reader understands how to read the poem through the writer’s use of either line-breaks, punctuation, or a combination of both

Or none

A poem may have none of the above ingredients. 

Free verse has little to differentiate itself from prose – however, it is the intention of the writer and the work done to the words that define it as a poem (in my personal opinion), although not everyone is a fan, or would agree with this!

Poetic forms

There are all sorts of rhyme schemes used in poetry and these are denoted by letter patterns, showing which lines rhyme with which, for example: alternate rhyming lines are an ABAB rhyme scheme, like in this extract from my poem called Pelt:

A fox of notoriety (A)

A tail of thick and fiery fur (B)

Producer of strong progeny (A)

Sly master of the bin procure (B)

 

Rhyming couplets (pairs of rhyming lines) are AA, BB, CC and so on, seen here in my poem, Night.

Day turns to night and then night slinks away (A)

Overawed by her aura, embarrassed to stay (A)

She reproaches his tricks and his childish pranks (B)

And the nightmare conspirators caught in his ranks (B)

The streetlights abetting his fingering shadows (C)

The devious rustlings of ravenous hedgerows (C)

 

Mix these patterns with FORM and set SYLLABLE COUNTS and other rules, and poetry can become quite complex (but extremely fun) to write!

There are lots of poetic forms, but here are some popular ones

Quick reminder: 

A stanza is a set or group of lines in a poem with a set form. A verse is pretty much the same thing but refers to a group of lines in a poem without a set form.

Acrostic: This is a very popular form for children to write because the only rule is that when you read the first letter of each line in the poem, going downwards, it will spell out a word or a message. Obviously, you need to choose the word or message before you write the poem.

Triplet: Uses rhyme scheme in sets of AAA.

Monorhyme: Is a poem in which every line ends with the same rhyme sound.

Enclosed rhyme: Uses rhyme scheme of ABBA for the four lines of each stanza. Which means that the first and fourth lines rhyme, and the two middle lines rhyme.

Terza rima: Uses an unlimited number of stanzas of three lines each (called tercets) and has rhyme pattern of ABA BCB CDC DED, which means that the middle line of each stanza becomes the first and third line rhymes for the next stanza. A Terza rima usually ends with either a single line, or a rhyming couplet using the same rhyme sound as the middle line from the previous (last) stanza or tercet.

Limerick: Is usually a humorous (and sometimes rude) poem, quite often poking fun at someone or something. It is only five lines long and has a rhyme scheme of AABBA.

Villanelle: A nineteen-line poem consisting of five tercets (stanzas of three lines each) and a final quatrain (four line stanza).

It uses a rhyme scheme of A1bA2, abA1, abA2, abA1, abA2, abA1A2. The number denotes a repeating line, in that line one (A1) is repeated in line six, twelve and eighteen, then line three (A2) is also repeated at lines nine, fifteen and nineteen.

So, although this sounds very complicated, there are two lines that are repeated four times each – so that’s eight lines dealt with, then there are eleven unique lines – one in the first stanza, then two in each of the subsequent stanzas.

A good example of this poem is ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’ by Dylan Thomas, which you can easily find if you search for it online.

Haiku: Is a non-rhyming, three line poem, where first and last lines have five syllables, and the middle has seven syllables. It is an Anglicized version of a traditional Japanese form and the subject is often nature or the seasons and the third line is a ‘cutting line’ that juxtaposes (contrasts with) the previous two.

These are two examples of my own Haiku:

Kitchen in silence

Only dishes scream loudly

The eating is done

 

Puberty looms in

The spring between seasons where

Tributaries swell.

Triolet: For a short poem, a Triolet has an awful lot of rules! It is a bit like a short Villanelle.

It has eight lines in two stanzas of four lines each but, only five lines that are different. Line one is repeated as lines four and seven. Line two is also the last line. The rhyming pattern is A1BaA1 abA1B1, where the capital letters are the repeating lines. Here’s one of mine, called Tiger:

You tear at my skin with piercing words (A1)

And I bleed just a little for you (B1)

Reassemble myself with the view you preferred (a)

You tear at my skin with piercing words (A1)

 

And my acid retort is unheard (a)

As I observe my existence undo (b)

You tear at my skin with piercing words (A1)

And I bleed just a little for you (B1)

 

One way to approach writing a triolet (if you fancy it), is to write the last line first, because this is the line that holds the IMPACT of the poem. Then write the line that goes before it and you’ll only have three unique lines left to write.

Free verse: has no rules. You can do what you want with it. Here’s one of mine, called The Awful Dilemma of Parenting:

 

A decision is made, or made for you, or made without your knowledge

But somehow, anyhow, your child is here, NOW, waiting for guidance

And whether you stumbled into parenthood or not

Each choice you make from this point forward

Directs the future of your progeny, their progeny

And your genes beyond

A significant slice of humanity, for a hundred years to come

Affected by the quality of your parenting skills.

Suddenly, the gravity of fish-fingers

Weigh concrete on your mind

Rondeau: fifteen lines, octosyllabic (eight syllables per line),
A1ABBA- AABA1 –AABBA1, although I cheated a little; because the repeating line at lines nine and fifteen should only be the first four syllables of line one. I guess that’s what you call poetic licence!

Look up the much-loved Rondeau ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrea. Here is my own example of a Rondeau, called The Harbinger of Glottenham:

 

The coming of a speeding coach (A1)

A squid-ink-black soundless approach (A)

Hidden hop-pickers bathed in sweat (B)

Ignore the horror’s swift beset (B)

The Castle’s future days approach (A)

 

The Lady’s envoi braves to broach (A)

So slogs his legs up Glotte’nham’s slope (A)

To tell his mistress he regrets (B)

The coming of the speeding coach (A1)

 

As sliding planes of time encroach (A)

The Lady paces round her moat (A)

Her ghostly spectre paid her debt (B)

And now another’s time is set (B)

The harbinger who brings no hope (A)

The coming of death’s speeding coach. (A1)

Poetic Forms exercise

Choose a poetic form from above, or search for ‘poetic forms’ online and choose one to write your own poem. 

I know a lot of poets HATE writing under such restrictions, BUT I really recommend you have a go, because writing to a strict set of rules actually forces you to think more creatively in order to find the right words to tell your story or voice your message.

Poetic clichés

A phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.

It is very easy to use clichés in poetry, such as ‘as soft as a feather’, ‘only time will tell’, ‘fall head over heels’ and so on. Finding original ways to describe things can be tricky, but there are techniques to get yourself out of the poetic rut.

Try the exercise below to come up with some unusual phrase combinations.

Note: When I do this exercise with kids’ groups, I get the children to lie on the ground outside, to get a different perspective on the world.

Poetic clichés exercise

This is best done outside, but it could be done inside, or even by looking online. 

Nouns: find and list five objects, big or small, singular or plural (preferably a mix of both). Complete this column first, then complete the next columns.

Verbs: find and list five things that move (a mix of mechanical and organic) and next to each one, write a verb that describes its movement.

Adjectives: listen to the sounds around you and list five them with an adjective that describes each sound.

NounsVerbs: Adjectives

Stones

Pond

Lovers

Car

Sheep

(traffic lights) change

(leaves) flutter

(tractor) trundles

(dogs) dart

(gramophone) spirals

(bird sings) mournfully

(airplane flies) noiselessly

(trees bend) angrily

(church bell rings) ominously

(bee buzzes) industriously

Now try out some of the noun-verb-adjective phrase combinations and see if you can find any that could work in a poem. In my example, I liked ‘sheep trundle mournfully’, ‘lovers change angrily’, ‘stones spiral ominously’, ‘cars dart industriously and ‘pond spirals noiselessly’. You can add or remove ‘s’ on the end of words where necessary.

Colour clichés exercise

We often use colour in our writing, both in poetry and prose and it is one area where a bit of imagination can really ‘lift’ your writing and avoid more dreaded clichés.

Take the list of colours below and add more of your own, then go onto the internet and search through images in that colour (Google ‘things that are yellow’ under IMAGES), listing the most unusual or obscure ones you can find.

ColourClichésAlternatives
YellowDaffodil, sunsetCheese, rain hat, submarine
BlueLake, skyCheese vein, corpse lips
GreenGrassThallium flame, party, coriander
OrangeTango (the drink)Muppets, fish batter
TurquoiseTrolpical seaBread mould, Cornish pottery
BlackSquid ink, night skyTop hat, 7 inch (or 12 inch) record

Try out some of your colour descriptions in your poetry, or prose.

Some sentence examples using my colour alternatives from above:

Her eyes were the colour of Cornish pottery and her hair a Muppet orange.

The Northern Lights turned the sky into thallium flames.

The sea spun around them, shining black as 12 inch record.

I would love to see your poems, please do post them in the comments below or on the YOUR Poetry page.

POWER, NO IDEA

Power, ruined my cradlea
Power, robbed, africanicity,
Power,No Idea.

Power, take it all,
Power, consuming fire,
Power, assassin my own blood.
Power, No Idea.

Power, flamed it all,
Power, crushed cronies all,
Power, turndown goddess,
Power, No Idea

Power, not empowered,
Power, no more freedom,
Power, no more Humanity.
Power, No idea

Power, Citizens wrangling,
Power, my tribe take it all,
Power, ma stomach , ooh! Stomach all.
Power, No idea.

Poem by Vincent Omondi

Copyright © 2020 Vincent Omondi

MY DEAD WISH

My Dear love no wish,
I drained from the drywaters no fish
You took all from me wish,
Now you go kill my wish.

Wish me rejects but no wish,
Hope you moved on towards your wishes but not me wish,

Me command, not ma wish,
You no longer in my Wishlist coz no one will Dead his wish.

Poem by Vincent Omondi

Copyright © 2020 Vincent Omondi

MALAYA

Malaya
Is my prefix
Is my sir name
To others, it’s my given name

Malaya
Is my identity
At night at the street lights
At work in the lodges

Malaya
Is a mother
Is a daughter like her mother
Is a sister to her daughter

Malaya
Is her only option
Selling her only possession
To determine her destination

Poem by David Martin Aliker

Copyright © 2020 David Martin Aliker

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