Hissing: An Alliterative Poem.
Alliteration
Alliteration is a type of rhyme scheme in which consonant sounds are repeated throughout a line, a stanza or, as in the case of this poem, an entire piece. It can be used to give a poem a feel of cohesiveness and connection in a piece which might otherwise seem to lack it. Many fine poets use heavily alliterative language in their poems. I discuss one such poet, Elizabeth Bishop (specifically her poem Filling Station), on this Hub.
You will often see alliteration in free form and blank verse poetry. However, many structured and traditionally rhymed poems, including Edgar Allen Poe's famous The Raven , use alliteration in conjunction with masculine rhyme schemes, creating an even more dramatic, and usually pleasing, effect.
The piece that follows is an experiment. Not only do I use soft "S" sounds which contradict the theme of the poem, I also use the same tone throughout the poem, which hopefully creates a delightfully cacophonous affect.
I hope you enjoy it!
Hissing
So
you say
speaking not so softly.
Your voice,
sputtering syllables of
nonsense and discord.
Searing my spirit.
Hissing sounds—
just …
sounds…
for the sake of sounds.
Slamming doors, strong
faced and filled with simply
superfluous rage.
all rights reserved. copyright Justin W. Price March 14, 2012.
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