concrete poem
- noun
- /ˈkɒn.kriːt poʊm/
- Literature
:
poema concreto
- Unless you've consciously set out to write a "concrete poem" in which the shape is part and parcel of the meaning, you're far better off leaving the text left-aligned.
Examples
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In her latest collection, she included a striking concrete poem shaped like a tree, emphasizing nature's beauty.
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One day, for example, I suggested to my class that the shape of May Swenson's "How Everything Happens," a concrete poem based on a study of the wave, might remind them of the cadences and formations of the Academy (of marching and drilling on the parade field, for example): PREFORMATTED TABLE
Academic text (2002) -
The concrete poem arranged in the form of a heart conveyed deep emotions about love and loss.
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He created a concrete poem that resembled a mountain, illustrating his journey through challenges and growth.
How Visual
- Literature
192
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'concrete' (physical, tangible) plus 'poem' suggests a poem with a physical or visual aspect, so learners can partially infer that the poem’s form relates to shape or materiality. However, the specific convention—arranging words/letters on the page to form a picture—is a specialized poetic term that is not fully predictable from the constituents and could be misread (e.g., a poem about concrete), so prior exposure helps.
Etymology
The name concrete poem may come from the idea that concrete means something you can see and poem is a piece of writing; in these poems the words are placed on the page to form a 'picture' or 'shape'. That's why a concrete poem means a poem where the look of the words gives extra meaning like a visual 'picture'.