Concrete Poems

Concrete poetry is a form of poetry where the shape of the poem carries just as much meaning as the words.  There are times when the formatting of the text will be in such a way as to communicate a message to the audience.  There are a number of ways in which this can play out.

Below is an example of how to create a concrete poem.  Using a “fixed-width” font, the image was blocked out with Xs.  In the first example, we see a “Sound Poem” being used to communicate an idea about the game / arcade culture of the 80s. 

In the second example, text is used – clarified by placing a “/” between each word, to help the reader better understand what they are processing. 

XXX               XXX       XXX               XXX          XXX         XXX          XXX         XXX       XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX       XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX    XXXXXX   XXXXXXXXX   XXXXXX    XXXXXX   XXXXXXXXX   XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX   XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   XXX XXX   XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   XXX XXX   XXX               XXX   XXX XXX   XXX               XXX   XXX          XXXXXX   XXXXXX          XXXXXX   XXXXXX

BLE               EPB       LOO               PBL          EEP         BLE          EPB         LOO       PZOOOOOOOORPBLEEPBLOO       PBLIPBLIPBLIPBLIPBLOR    GBLEEP   SPACEBLIP   BLEEPB    LIPBLI   PINVADERS   BLOORP BLIPBLIPBLIPBLIPBLIPBLIPBLIPZOORM BLEEPBLEEPBLEEPBLIPBLIPBLIPBLIPBL EEP   SPACEBLEEPBLEEPBLIPBL   OOP BLE   EPBLIPBLIPINVADERSBLE   EEP ZOO   ORM               BLI   PBL IPB   LIP               BLO   ORM          SPACEB   LEEPBL          EEPINV   ADERS!

IN/               SPA CE/               THE Y/S         AY/ NO/         ONE /CAN/HEAR/YOU/SCREAM. ROW/BY/ROW/THEY/CAME/ REVERB   ERATING/T   HROUGH /THE/G   ALAXY,IN/   A/SWAR M/UNHEARD/OF.FIRST/THEY/CAME/IN/D ARKNESS,HIDDEN/AMONGST/THE/UNCARE D/F   OR/YOUTHS/WHOSE/MINDS   /WE RE/   FILLED/WITH/THE/DRONE   /OF MIS   BEG               OTT   EN. WHE   N/T               HEY   /MA DE/THE   IR/PRE SENCE/   KNOWN/ IT/ WAS /TO O/L ATE

Concrete Poems: Further Examples

Concrete Poems do not need to be overly complex.  Please refer to the examples below:  Many line the ones below can be discovered around the interconnected network of computers, and tubes, that many of us call: the interwebs!