shape poems
Text forming pictures
Shape poems, also called concrete poems, arrange text on the page to form a visual image related to the poem's subject.
A poem about rain might have words trickling down the page; one about a circle might curve its lines into a ring.
The form makes the poem's appearance part of its meaning, blending visual art with verse.
- calligramText arranged pictorially
- imageryVivid descriptive language
- ideogramsSymbols representing ideas directly
- letterformA character's visual structure
- spatial arrangementPositioning of elements in space
visual metaphor · page layout · white space · geometric forms · verse · word art · symbolize · art · visual composition · visual storytelling · creativity · semiotics · imagination · resonances · expression · artistic innovation · allegories · parables