Concrete Poem

Literary Technique: Concrete Poem

Poem Example:

The Bird
By Ernesto Santiago

  Soaring high,
                        Up into the
                              Limitless sky,
                                    A traveler,
                               With its red feathers
                             Exploded, into force, like
                            An airborne ranger, enjoying
                            Its freedom and it never
                               Worries what to eat
                 And, what to wear like a poet
          With his silvery quill, glowing
Inside, his soul, yesterday………today,
                    Tomorrow and forever!
                    A master, of his words
                     His life, free to write
                    And, never worries
                  When to stop, nor
                  To die, for his
            Poetry, will be
      Remembered
            By
           Someone

Biographical Information: Ernesto P. Santiago is just a poetry enthusiast, who loves and enjoys exploring the poetic myth of his senses. He thinks, “Poetry is a global temperature that will always surprise us.” His poetry has received many international poetry prizes from countries including Japan, Italy, Romania, Canada, and the United States.

Explanation of Technique: Poetry in which the poet's intent is conveyed by the graphic patterns of letters, words, or symbols rather than by the conventional arrangement of words. This is an acrostic poem because the lines are arranged unconventionally. Instead, they form the shape of a bird in flight. The shape of the poem centers around the poems theme of a powerful bird in the sky.

Interpretation of Poem: I believe that Santiago is describing himself in this poem. He says that, through poetry, he will be able to do anything and go anywhere. Poetry is boundless and limitless, like a bird. He is free to do what he likes with his life, and he chooses to write. Even when he dies and leaves this world, his poetry will live on, and he will be remembered by his writing and words.

Visual Representation:

Explanation of Visual: The image depicts a red bird in flight, rising up into the infinite sky. I chose it because it represents several lines of this poem, such as the first seven lines of the poem. He in an 'airborne ranger', and a master of what he does, like how Santiago is a master of his words.

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