Tuesday, April 14, 2015

An Acrostic Self-Portrait Poem

Word games come in a variety of forms, from the daily Jumble in our newspaper to simple Word Association. Scrabble is a very popular word game and, good heavens, even Wheel of Fortune is nothing more than an elaborate word game. (Can you believe it? Vanna White is still spinning that wheel, making somebody a fortune.)

Nearly two decades ago I met, through social media, a Michigan pastor named Gary Kins who wrote acrostic poetry. There's something compelling about the process of grappling with this kind of word game and I wrote a number of such poems myself using an acrostic approach.

Essentially what you do is take each letter in your name or someone else's name, or any word actually, then start each line of your "poem" with a word that begins with that letter.

While on vacation last week I went through a folder of my poems to see what I could find there to read May 19 at the Red Mug poetry event during our 2015 Duluth Dylan Fest. I came across this acrostic which I'd written at some point in time I know not when.

* * * *

No one knows the full extent of my inward struggle
Ever rushing about in a hasty crush of days
Wondering if I'll ever put it all together
Making every effort to stumble through the maze
All too often conscious of my weakness
Never sure of anything but grace

* * * *

What would your Acrostic Self-Portrait look like?
If you have trouble, or need help with the concept, you can try this website.

Life is a game. Winning isn't everything, but it's something. What is it to you?

* * * *

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