An acrostic poem is a type of poetry where the first, last or other letters in a line spell out a particular word or phrase. The most common and simple form of an acrostic poem is where the first letters of each line spell out the word or phrase. [Note that the start and end of each line in this give the letters for Valentines Day—as well as making a darn good poem. Ariele]
(A QUADRUPLE ACROSTIC POEM)
THINKING ABOUT VALENTINE’S DAY
velvet red box chocolates gone in lip-licking improv
vanilla scent sweetness salivation—oh Pavlov
aroma lingering sparked memories throbbing aorta
arrows aim shot hitting Cupid bullseye arena
love smooth as schmearing cream cheese on bagel
lasting affections, tick-of-time need not level
emotions rise like an ocean transported bottle-note
ebbing belief roared an unusual tsunami tote
nightfall coral sunset declaring darkness until dawn
nocturnal dreamland joined, pillow bed pawn
teardrops answer radio replaying oldies to the past
tender Barry White crooned, romance at last
imagine spaghetti dinners lacking luscious spumoni
insert magic feather into hat, shout macaroni
nibble mistakes in tunnel of time becoming human
no-regrets-flavored lollipop in future reunion
enduring images dusted off recalling a kiss goodbye
emancipated ghost rush past blinking red eye
shadows in night awaken soft imaginary lip touches
sweet delusions holding lost endless clutches
delicious flavors restore warm taste buds embraced
decorate crème brulee fire-burnt sugar cased
amour remembered like layering flavors for lasagna
ablaze reminiscence wait welcoming mañana
you were sugar, spice, and roses on Valentine’s Day
yearning to love one more cheerful yesterday
I love a challenge. I enjoy short stories, and discovered a bonus of poetry. I found acrostic poetry on the internet—children make poems with the letters of their names. I started with Merry Christmas, jumped to a double acrostic for Happy New Year, and discovered the second lines made the poem a triple acrostic. I showed a friend, who dared me to do a quadruple acrostic: dare accepted. I hope you like my four pillars of Valentine’s Day. Sincerely, April Ryan
CHALLENGE: Do an acrostic poem and send it to ariele@comcast.net for possible publication in Sharing Stories or Northwest Prime Time‘s paper version.
April Ryan was a Metro bus driver for 27 years. She joined Ariele Huff’s Edmonds Senior Center Ongoing Writing Group many years ago.
SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).
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