Twisted

(Acrostic Septet)

True to form the media have no shame;
writing notes on palm and brain juggles clues;
imagination lost on ruby lips;
searching between fingers for words that rhyme;
thinking how best they would turn heat around;
exuberance like floes covers the air;
dies when humor gallops on a nightmare.



© Paterika Hengreaves
February 9, 2010/Barbados



Comments:

This acrostic poem “Twisted” has seven pentameter verses. Simply put, it is an Acrostic Septet with end-stops. The end-stops are any type of punctuation marks shown at the end of line verses. Those appearing in this poem are the semicolon, and the full stop. End-stops have interesting effects in slowing down the reading pace in the poem. Alexander Pope and other 18th century poets favored the use of end-stops in their heroic couplets. When couplets in iambic pentameter verses rhyme they are called heroic couplets. An example of the heroic couplet is seen in the last two lines of verse in this poem.