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dVerse Poets Pub, online poetry, onomatopoeia, poetic form, poetics, poetry, poetry prompt, Sheila Moore
Ahem…
[The pub-crowd’s yakety-yak quiets to a murmur.]
Hi, everyone! Sheila, here and I want to welcome you to today’s Poetics where we will be clicking our keyboards to create onomatopoeic poetry.
But first, please, sit back (CRASH!) – um, not that far back 🙂 – relax, munch on those pretzels Chris left here last Monday and enjoy your drinks (glug, glug) while I present to you the ooh’s and ah’s of onomatopoeia.
Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes. Animal sounds such as quack (duck), moo (cow), woof (dog), meow (cat), and baa (sheep) are good examples. Others include comic book style onomatopoeias such as wham!, pow!, biff! and
Product advertisements that have used onomatopoeias with great success include Rice Krispies, the cereal that makes “snap, crackle, and pop” sounds when doused with milk and Alka-Seltzer, the antacid that goes “plop, plop, fizz, fizz.”
Onomatopoeia in Poetry
Aural effect is an important aspect of poetry. We choose our words not only for their meanings but also for their sounds to produce certain rhythms or cadences, rhymes (consonance and assonance) and moods for our poems.
Onomatopoeias can be used directly or indirectly in poetry.
Directly, they imitate natural sounds such as buzz, clap, and tick-tock and are often used in nursery rhymes. Direct onomatopoeias are also found in classic poetry such as in the following excerpt from ‘The Highwayman’ by Alfred Noyes.
Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs ringing clear;
Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard;
He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred
Indirect onomatopoeias are combinations of sounds used to create a particular mood related to the subject. For example, in the last two lines of ‘Come Down O Maid’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson, the poet’s excessive use of the letters ‘m’ and ‘n’ produce an atmosphere of murmuring insects.
…the moan of doves in immemorial elms,
And murmuring of innumerable bees.
Indirect onomatopoeia can also be used by repeating words which themselves are not onomatopoeic such as in Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Bells.’
Silver bells…how they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle…
…From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells-
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
For today’s Poetics,
- write a poem using at least one onomatopoeia. Check out The Written Sound for a great list of onomatopoeias.
- Click on the Mr. Linky button below.
- In the new window, enter your name and the exact URL of your poem and click the submit button.
- Please visit the other participants as you can, commenting and sharing as you see fit.
I hope you have a great and poetic weekend. I will be shuush-shuushing down the ski slopes and look forward to reading your poems when I return.
Break a leg (while I try not to!) SNAP!!!
P.S. I reposted an onomatopoeia poem that I created a while back, if you would like to view another example.
this is a great idea for a prompt sheila…can’t wait to read all the fun sounds this will produce… still standing in front of the mirror by the way, sheet of paper in hand and trying to pronounce “onomatopoeia” correctly..haha… have fun poets!!
this is going to be so much fun…i love to use sounds in my writing…cant wait to read everyones…great prompt sheila!
You quoted from my two faves that contain onomatopoeia, Sheila-Noyes and Poe–both classics that make the sounds a part of the narrative. I’m under the weather today, but if things are better in time I’ll see what I can come up with–right now the sounds I’m focusing on are more nasty than not. ;_)
haha nasty sounds work…keeping it real and all…lol…seriously hope you feel better hedge
Mmm… sounds phun. Thanks, Sheila!
Brian’s got this one in the bag! Me on the other hand…well, I’ve got the afternoon free to see what I can pull out of my hat…Wonderful exercise, Sheila…can’t wait to see the results, and please…be careful!!! You’re too important to be swooshing yourself too fast! Have a blast!
and just what sound does something make coming out of the hat….rrrRRRiiIIPPPP…maybe…
Well, gosh, my entry would have to be considered “indirect” onomatopoeia for sure; still I had fun with it. I will have to return to the well for something more clanking linguistically, and shove it in a bit later.
shove on glenn…this should be a fun ride…
This should be fun.
There, I dug dipper in my onomoto britches, and came up with something that sounds as good as it reads.
just loved your reading glenn
Would love to join in too, Sheila, but while Ron seems to be improving, I’ve come down with bad feet, aches & pains, and general malaise. I don’t believe I was ever meant to be domestic. I seem to have misplaced my crown and have taken up Cinderella’s duties…sigh. Perhaps another day, Gay can come out and play 😉
oh gay..hope you’ll soon feel better…and one thing is sure..your poetic crown shines bright and clear..just saying..smiles
sorry today s not a good day gay…pout….
you are a princess either way, Gay. 😉 Hope you get some down time soon.
Not sure how true to the concept it is, but I had fun with the ‘noises’.
ha it was a fun one to read….CLANG!
i have a frying pan in my back pocket…just in case….haha
Hello Shiela, happy new year, shuussh-shussh sounds fun.
thanks, oceangirl, happy new year to you too!
great entries…much fun to read and listen…leaving the sound party now and go to bed..see you tomorrow.. just don’t wake me with the noise you make..smiles
Sheila, This was great fun! Thanks for the interesting prompt.
Oh, and thanks for the glug, glug, but those pretzels are a bit stale. So I brought some fresh peanuts to share. Crunch, crunch. Peace, Linda
ooo, thanks for the peanuts, Linda!
Sheila
POWEE – ZOWEE – YOWEE…kablitzenbangin
fun times
pub rhymes
dub lines
thanks…Peace
Hi Sheila, before I saw this prompt, I started a write for a children’s theme prompt and then saw that it fit the bill over here too. I’d like to get better at these…it was fun to try!
that was pretty cool…a lot of the house hold sounds…
Okay, I went back into the deep dark dungeons of Castle Hedgewitch and finally found an old poem with a little–a very little–onomatopoeia in it that I hope qualifies. It’s so old most here will not have read it, and kind of different than usual for me. Now I’m going back to bed and drink more fluids. I’ll try to get around a bit tomorrow.*Surely* I’ll be feeling better by then, &#!%. !! Keep up the good work, all.
go back to bed….eat some hot soup on the way…smiles….
Hope you feel better soon. Mine also is old and dug up, and possibly non-qualifying! Though it does deal with sound in a way, Onomatopoeic though? Not sure!
Sorry you aren’t feeling well, hedge. Sickness be banished!
thanks, Hedge! You’re the best. Get well soon…
I like the prompt, I started out with a caw and ended up in the woods finishing with philosophical twist
nice i love the woods….
gonna have to let this one slllliipppppp me bye bye cause of prior deadlines for some personal projects, but gonna be curious to see the results 😉
best wishes everyone!
wishing you all the best for your personal projects..and thanks for sneaking in and saying hello..
Sheila, it’s a great prompt. I’ve been busy so used something revised. Thanks very much for your kind words on the death of my dad. K.
ManicD, no problem, hon. Glad you are staying involved especially with all that is going on. Thoughts and prayers as always…
What a fun writing exercise, and there is quite an art to using onomatopoeia effectively.
i agree kerry..
A serendipity arrival of some onomatopoeic Wordle words persuaded me to combine two prompts. Is this allowed?
sure ma’am..no problem at all..smiles
Thank you, Sheila, for another compelling prompt.
Have fun skiing!
you’re welcome, Lydia. I made it back in one piece (no Snap, snaps of any bones that is 🙂 )
Hi Everyone! First time user here. There’s a first time for everything. This seems like a wonderful use of time. And there are no legal penalties associated with it! So nice on a Sunday morning!
haha…good on the legal penalties..welcome david….enjoyed your snapshot..
welcome, David!!!
Of course I am late- only a few hours left- sorry- Not sure what day this begins on.
Can’t resist sounds ! thanks.
ah it goes to midnite tonight so you are good izzy…smiles.
Thanks Shelia have reposted an oldy that fits this theme …thank you x
what a fabulous prompt, Sheila! such fun!
{i’ll have to wait until this evening to visit everyone, but i definitely will be back!}
happy new year!
Well, a big poetic thanks to everyone who has made it to the pub this weekend! I am back and ready to make the rounds – can’t wait to read your poems!
Happy New Year, one and all.
Tell your friends to come by and join us. The more the merrier! This prompt will be going on until midnight tonight (Sunday, EST time)
welcome back sheila…i take it you are in one piece? smiles.
yes, I am 🙂 but all I really need are my typing fingers, right? lol
So, it’s like this: I gulped, hit “publish” and landed in the pub. Thank you for this; now to read others!
ds, so glad you landed here! 🙂
i learned a lot from you, Shelia, beautiful prompt.
shared one, hope that you like it.
Happy New Year.
Snowflakes, I did like it! great job and Happy New Year to you, too!