The Poem Game

I don’t know which one of the sisters first introduced the others to the poem game… but it was a keeper.

It’s one of those real old school  writing games and seriously so much fun. The hilarity and giggles that ensue are of the snort causing variety. In honour of National Poetry day I’d love to share our ‘poem game’ with you guys and you should totally play.

Number of players:  Three  or more,  

What you need: a piece of paper and something to write with for each player.

Rules: Each person writes a word, (any random word) on the top of the paper, folds it, so the word can not be seen, and passes it to the person on the left.

Next each person writes a question, (any random question on the next line) on the paper they were handed, folds it and again and passes it again to the person on their left.

Now each person can unfold the paper and read the word and question (both of which will have been written by someone other than themselves)

Each person has FIVE minutes to come up with a POEM (eek!) that has the word AND answers the question.

GO!

It’s simples and don’t worry if you are not a ‘writing’ person, trust me it’s even better if you are not!

We haven’t played this together for years now but recently I came across one of the poems I had scribbled down and then found some photos my sister had sent  us of poem game papers she had squirreled away … Poem Game memories are obviously treasured around here!

WORD – embroidery,

QUESTION – how can a person be always happy?

People are unhappy creatures

With many faces, many features

Always wanting more and more

Closing all their open doors

The reason people are so sad

(the answer’s simple you’ll be glad )

Is that they do nothing all day

They’re lazy beings that I’ll say

To cure this illness you must do

Something useful, something too

That is productive -reading, say

Or sewing, cooking or embroidery

So to heal your horrid days

You must change your lazy ways

 

Quite Roald Dhal– esqe wouldn’t you say? Channelling the Umpa Loompa’s poem game here.

Here’s another one : 

WORD – joy,

QUESTION – how does the world go round?  

Another one by our youngest sister – her poems were always so earnest!

The world is like a spinning top

Round and round it does not stop

By Allahs grace the earth spins spins round

How? The answer can’t be found

It glows in space just like a jewel

Like thread that is turning from a spool

We on earth should be so glad

And feel grateful never sad

Live in joy as we’ve been graced

With such a perfect perfect place

Awww! Im reading these again after all these years as I type them out and this one is actually so sweet! I think she was only fourteen at the time!

Here’s one I remember writing –  

WORD: porridge,

QUESTION: what is your star ‘signature’? (instead of ‘sign’! Sooo cute!)

Goldilocks wanted Porridge

Snow White’s fate was in an apple

Cinderella picked her pumpkin

Rapunzel let down her hair

The stars in the skies wrote their stories

And the moon signed their fairy tales

My star signature is no story

For I am the Beauty who has the Beast

and my star signature is a nightmare.

OOOH those dark twisted fairy tales. Hahaha.

And here is one I kept all these years from when I played the poem game with my best friend … she is still just s soppy as ever! 

WORD – Beautiful

QUESTION – Why are you crying?

My beautiful friend

came to visit me for a day

We laughed, we cried,

We joked,we reminisce

And then she returned home

Taking my heart with her

Oh how i love her

She is like a rose , sweet, divine and perfect

Return soon

My beautiful friend

Do you have Poem GAME? (See what I did there?) Even if you’re not a poetry geek in fact especially if you are not – you must try this little game, you might surprise yourself!  I’m definitely going to make my girlfriends do this next time we get together, and can you imagine doing this with your kids? It would be too cute!  

 

Top Image and Poem by me, channelling my inner Willam Carlos Williams !