Poetry Potpourri
by James E. Tate

A Summer Poem

Some poets build a word list for their intended topic. The words prompt the poet with germane thoughts on the subject, and off they go in their poetic carpentry, constructing their poem project.

Here's the word list technique. Make a list by thinking of subject items (in this article it is summer activities). This step is sometimes called brainstorming. Jot down subject items that come to mind with no regard to application. Just list them. Then look for likely words that will fit in a phrase or poem line. Make your first draft without rhymes, then go back and shuffle it for rhymes.

In the rhyming process you may add or delete words or whole lines, pairing up ending words to rhyme. Take this, your second draft and delete the weak spots, striving for rhymes that are meaningful.

The following simplistic poem had only one rhyme when I wrote my first draft. Then I reorganized it, developing an abcb rhyme scheme (where the "“b" lines rhyme [my second draft]). Please excuse my title ending with a preposition.

What is Summer Made of?

Hot, sizzling days
Homemade ice cream
Arms dripping watermelon juice
That’s the stuff of dreams.

Foot racing with a friend
Getting leathery skin
Well-water from a tin,
Since I don’t know when.

Shade under trees
Outdoor sports,
Hiking and biking
Games of all sorts.

BBQ and Sing Alongs
Fishing and boating
Guitar music
Swimming and floating.

Short sleeves
Barefoot in the park
Lying on your back
Stars blinking in the dark.

Church camp meeting
Under breezy tents
Hear the gospel preached
Repent
That’s what summer is made of.

Here is the word list from which I constructed the poem. You will find words that I did not use, and that's okay, just as a carpenter uses only the needed tools in his box.

Hot, sizzling, summer, burn, sun, heat, swim, shorts, sports, grass, bicycling- biking, jogging, barefoot, vacation, travel, watching stars, watermelon, ice cream, shade, church, camp meeting, tent, preaching, eating-snacking

Suppose another rhyme scheme was requested? Say aabb. With twice the rhymes, I'd have to work harder. Take a look.

What is Summer Made of?
(Version two, aabb)

Hot, sizzling days
When the sun's ablaze
Lying on your back
Wishing for a snack

Short sleeves
Under shade of leaves
Homemade ice cream
That's the stuff of dreams

Through dirt trails biking
Up high hills hiking
Fishing and boating
Swimming and floating

Bliss is slow to end
When you share it with a friend
Slap-happy as a goose
Dripping watermelon juice

Church camp meeting
Apple cobbler eating
Preaching under a tent
Go to the altar—repent.
That’s what summer is made of.

In this version, I omitted some phrases, added new lines, and rearranged others.

Now take your poetic carpentry tools and build yourself a poem. While in the process remember that other Carpenter, the Man of Galilee, and construct it to uplift Him.

Let me conclude with a poem that I quoted on a summer vacation. My wife Marie and I visited St. Simons Island, on the coast of Georgia. Eugenia Price's book, Lighthouse, first of the St. Simons trilogies, made this island famous. We toured the stately church of Frederica, a historic wood-framed edifice. It was surrounded by the graves of its members and founders, the custom when it was built in 1820. Famed John and Charles Wesley preached many times from its pulpit.

Marie and I walked the same tree-lined paths where the ministers meditated before their sermons.
We admired the white bleached bell tower, and windows of stained glass, which typified the poem, Mosaics, that I had previously written. I quoted it there to an audience of one—Marie.

Mosaics

In Cathedrals we find windows lined with mosaic, stained glass art.
Each piece is small, yet standing tall as a fragile contributing part
Of a greater work of splendor, like frozen music bold,
Of mosaic scenes and color schemes of an artist's story told.

We too, are a type of mosaic, with body, spirit and soul.
Our actions serve as pictures of our earthly role and ultimate goal.
As free moral agents, we hear many voices,
And our eternal destination is determined by our choices.

The Bible is also a type of mosaic. Each verse a golden thread,
Weaving a sacred message, as the holy prophet said.
A study in history of eternal mystery, this book is woven through.
A guide to live by and a code to die by are there for all to view.

It speaks to all who listen, giving hope for thought and dream.
For God, himself is the author, and Jesus Christ the theme.
Lord, may the fabric of our mosaic glisten with colors bold,
As we read and follow, the Greatest Story Ever Told.