1. Torana

    Torana Contributor Contributor

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    Imagery Excercise

    Discussion in 'Word games' started by Torana, Jun 18, 2007.

    Ok just thought that I would post up an imagery excercise for anyone who is interested.

    Basically all you do is utilise the words in the provided list below and write a line to describe it, be as imaginative as possible and as abstract as possible.

    * a knife

    * a cirlce

    * a shadow

    * a sword

    * a window

    * a photograph

    * sunrise

    * a flower

    * a tree

    Ok well there you go, just a few words for you to have a play with.
    I just thought that it may help some people to get a better idea on imagery for their poetry.

    ~Torana
     
  2. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    I'll give it a try. Is this the kind of thing you had in mind?

    * a knife
    gleaming steel tongue, thirsty for life's red wine

    * a circle
    chasing itself tirelessly with neither beginning nor end

    * a shadow
    His dark ghost huddled on the ground behind him, hiding from the moon's harsh gaze

    * a sword
    flashing death swept through the air, singing as it hewed flesh.

    * a window
    a filmy oblong sentinel, permitting light's entry but refusing the wind

    * a photograph
    His visage frozen in a flat paper prison, a moment convicted and sentenced with no parole.

    * sunrise
    fire spilled and flickered across the horizon, heralding the imminent arival of the Sun.

    * a flower
    Soft, red hands cupped the sunlight, trembling in the breeze, letting free their sweet perfume

    * a tree
    A gnarled grey old man, ancient yet hale, stretched leafy arms to embrace the refreshing rain
     
  3. SnipSnap

    SnipSnap Active Member

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    Cogito ... some advice on poetry ... It's good to be descriptive ... but don't get overwordy! You simply have too many adjectives. You do a great job of inflicting an image in our heads, it just takes too many literations to get the job done.
     
  4. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Thanks SnipSnap. I'm not at all strong in poetry, but this exercise was an irresistable challenge.

    I'm eagerly anticipating seeing what the real poets on the board do with Torana's trial.
     
  5. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    a knife
    cold steel strikes when blood runs hot

    a cirlce
    essential wombdom, wellspring of life

    a shadow
    creeping penumbral image

    a sword
    man's favored appendage, negating life

    a window
    seeing without being

    a photograph
    life's lively tedium caught in a lifeless medium

    sunrise
    ...and she said, "Let there be light!"

    a flower
    mother nature's mutable beauty

    a tree
    staunch defender of an endless plain

    ...nice little exercise, torana... so, how come you didn't give it a go yourself?
     
  6. Crazy Ivan

    Crazy Ivan New Member

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    Location:
    The dumpster behind your McDonalds.
    As abstract as possible, eh?
    Hmm....


    * a knife
    An outline
    Where air is thin
    A gleam
    Where life is cut

    * a circle
    Chalk lines are
    The devil's prison

    * a shadow
    I'm following myself
    Afraid of what I'll do.

    * a sword
    Honor in blood;
    Beauty in death;
    Rage in flesh.

    * a window
    Through
    Up
    Above
    God doesn't shut things, he makes them.

    * a photograph
    That was then.
    This is now.

    * sunrise
    Who painted the sky?
    I left my brushes here last night
    And now they're all above me.

    * a flower
    If you had taken
    My gift of flowers
    I would have stolen
    Yours.

    * a tree
    Some things aren't quite as real
    As others.
    Some things bend to wind.
    Others harness it.
     
  7. SnipSnap

    SnipSnap Active Member

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    As Abstract As Possible ...
    I Did My betsy:

    * a knife

    Rrrrrrrrrrrrruflles have Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrridges

    * a circle

    Erectile Dysfunction Gone Bad.

    * a shadow

    Mosh Pit's Reflection

    * a sword

    Loki, Heel!

    * a window

    Imp streaks; Van Gough has an Inspiration!

    * a photograph

    Olympian Margot, sparse dividend.

    * sunrise

    Narcoleptic Holiday

    * a flower

    What's in Maine?
    That which we call a growth by any other Mane
    would grope as sweet?

    * a tree

    Goblins dwell in the inverse.
     
  8. Torana

    Torana Contributor Contributor

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    * a knife trust between friends severed

    * a cirlce deceipt that never ends

    * a shadow lies are all that are displayed

    * a sword a silvery whisper through a mirky dream

    * a window illusional captivation in the mind

    * a photograph soul forever entombed

    * sunrise slow burning of the worlds aura

    * a flower perfume to elude all hate

    * a tree the centre of the universe


    There you have it my attempt at my own excersice....
     
  9. Gannon

    Gannon Contributor Contributor

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    Unabound abstract - though luckily in your poems you use this sort of thing sparingly so that it has effect, rather than impenatrability - you know I'm a fan of your work!
     
  10. Gannon

    Gannon Contributor Contributor

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    * a knife - a smiling extension of oneself

    * a circle - repetitive infinity

    * a shadow - the baggage and burden that we carry in our subconscious, projected at length and inextricably attached to ourselves

    * a sword - a teasing fallic ornament

    * a window - a pernicious hole through which the world can be distorted

    * a photograph - a stolen memory

    * sunrise - metaphor for inevitabilty

    * a flower - is but a loose host and lover

    * a tree - the goalposts of ages

    An tough exercise Torana - I feel I've been shown up by all of the above efforts!
     
  11. Torana

    Torana Contributor Contributor

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    Not At all Gannon, you have done a comendable job at this. I like the ones you came up with actually.

    Glad that you have all had a go at this, it is wonderful as even though some may not have joined in I think that if they read through things like this it may give them a bit of help with imagery.

    Well hope this has helped someone out and I will be posting up more in the near future so keep your eyes peeled. Although they will be very different.

    I was thinking about doing something with ryhming and things like that, I tend to do this all the time as I have writers block and find that it helps me out quite a bit.

    I love the way everyone's is so different, they were all so enjoyable to read through. Great work everyone :D

    ~Torana
     
  12. Frost

    Frost Active Member

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    * a knife
    Friend and foe.

    * a cirlce
    Nothing more than infinite straight lines.

    * a shadow
    The bare essentials of an object.
    Void of detail. Void of emotion.

    * a sword
    Life and death encompassed in one metal object.

    * a window
    Transperant walls.

    * a photograph
    Lights prison.

    * sunrise
    The kiss of a completed revolution.

    * a flower
    Colour and life riding the wind.

    * a tree
    Life giving angels; an everday miracle.
     
  13. Myst

    Myst Active Member

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    Location:
    The streets of the sky
    * a knife
    A flimsy balancing scale of life and death, trembling unsteadily in ignorant hands.

    * a circle
    Disgruntled Father Time;
    ramming midget spectacles up a
    semicorporeal nose
    strolling by limp and moodily glowering
    to the Past and Future hims that sidle by
    trying to concrete the position of their glasses.


    * a shadow
    Our mortality, binding us to breath and soil- till the sun set away and God collects our toil.


    * a sword
    Adolescent Death, raised by men

    * a window
    Passages that lead to other windows, which in turn lead to different passages

    * a photograph
    Flesh of the moment
    raped bloodless and mute
    by basilisk tongue.

    * sunrise
    His death and birth in one chime

    * a flower
    Aging swimsuit models

    * a tree
    Residences of the seasons
     
  14. Torana

    Torana Contributor Contributor

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    wow Frost those were awesome, so were yours myst. I like the imagery you have both displayed here.

    I will do another soon, hope you all decide to have a go at it for some fun.

    ~Tor
     
  15. jolee

    jolee New Member

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    Location:
    Blyth Northumberland
    A Knife
    Sharp and glinting in the moonlight

    A Circle
    Never ending, going round for ever

    A Shadow
    Dark and foreboding,following you through the night

    A Sword
    A knight's tool from long ago

    A window
    A picture frame fopr the outside world

    A Photograph
    Pictures of loved one's past and present,imortalised forever

    Sunrise
    New beginnings

    A Flower
    symbols of love and death

    A tree
    power everlasting
     
  16. Heather Louise

    Heather Louise Contributor Contributor

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    ok, so not as good as everyone else's but here's my attempt.


    * a knife – utterly butterly covered

    * a circle – the line of love that never ends

    * a shadow – where dark things lie, or shy ones hide

    * a sword – the metallic margin between beauty and death

    * a window – the eyes on the world that you just can’t reach

    * a photograph – a reminder of a memory easily forgotten

    * sunrise – the fire of life that warms the earth

    * a flower – the symbol of regret when a man does wrong

    * a tree – the rings of life that tell the tale of nature
     

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