Micropoetry is an ultra-short form of poetry, typically under 25 words or 140 characters, blending creative brevity with precise language characterized by sharp imagery and emotional depth while allowing diverse interpretations. The brevity of the genre also encourages innovations in language and structure, often leading to defiance of conventional poetic presentation and grammatical norms.
While the term micropoetry emerged with microblogging, gradually fitting into the platforms like Twitter and Instagram, the origins of very short poetry can be traced back to epigrams of classical Greek literature, Vedic Hymns and chants from the Vedic period, early oral proverbs from various cultures, the 17th century Japanese Haiku, and the 20th-century experimental modernist poetry. The genre in the 21st century was popularized by W.G. Sebald in 2004, who coined the term micropoem, referring to ultra-short poems of his collection “Unrecounted,” written in collaboration with Jan Peter Tripp.
The modern forms that attributed a distinct identity and popularity to the genre include poetry in the form of Twitter posts allowing only 280 characters, Captcha poetry using the text generated by anti-spamming software, and tweetku, which molds the traditional Haiku structure according to the requirements of Twitter posts, fusing the classic and the modern to create a new form. The online communities organize and participate in Twitter micropoem competitions such as the Palette Poetry Micro Chapbook Prize.
Atwood’s ‘You Fit Into Me’ juxtaposes tender intimacy with sharp pain, capturing the sexual violence women might face in love.
In just sixteen words, this poem starkly portrays the dark side of traditional heterosexual relationships, likely marriages, wherein women endure violence, particularly sexual violence. Through its deftly creative imagery, it captures the complexity of the violence rooted in patriarchy, showing how, from the outside, the relationship might look as if it is like a clothing hook-and-eye, but in fact, it is like a fish hook pierced into the eye, the eye being the woman. This poem's few words not only condense such a complex and dark experience, but they trigger visceral emotions, shocking and jolting the reader by changing the imagery from a pleasant, passionate union to a frightening, bone-chilling, violent visual emphasizing the pain and trauma of women.
Pound’s ‘In a Station of the Metro,’ the definitive Imagist poem, presents the complex dual realities of the mind in a moment via precise images.
One of the most famous poems of the 20th century, embodying the imagist movement, 'In a Station of the Metro' fits aptly in the 21st-century genre of micropoetry and could even be one of its best representatives, creating lucid, sharp images in just fourteen words capturing the essence of the workings of the speaker's mind in a moment. The simple verbless two lines joined with a semicolon trigger diverse thoughts and interpretations as the central idea of the simultaneous presence of seen reality and the mind's imagination is condensed in these lines. Thus, it resonated with modern social media micropoetry with its depiction of a quick moment, a condensed yet profound meaning, while allowing open interpretations of unique imagery shown in a few words.
‘In the twilight rain’ by Matsuo Bashō is a beautiful 3-line haiku that juxtaposes an evening rain with a bright hibiscus flower.
This Haiku presents a moment of nature's serene beauty in just three lines. Remarkably, despite being very short, it condenses various aspects of nature with sharp images, creating a complete scenery while evoking awe and yearning for such sublime moments of nature; it paints the backdrop with two words, 'twilight' and 'rain,' making one think of the captivating purple sky from where the rain is hitting the soft petals of 'brilliant-hued hibiscus' mentioned in the second line. The last line, 'A lovely sunset,' transforms the twilight into the red and orange of hibiscus, blending with the bright flowers, heightening the emotional intensity of longing and yearning while evoking appreciation for the sublimity of nature in just eleven words.
‘i am water’ by Rupi Kaur is a thoughtful poem that uses water as a metaphor for the speaker’s softer and tougher nature.
Rupi Kaur is a significant contemporary poet who predominantly writes micropoems that gained social media recognition. This poem, featuring fourteen words spread over five lines, emotional depth, subjective expression asserting inner strength and positive characteristics, clear imagery, and metaphor in simple language, resonates with the modern genre of micropoetry that is popular on social media platforms. It becomes highly relatable and thus shareable with its assertive tone, displaying highly regarded contemporary values or personality wherein one is nurturing and powerful yet displays strength only when required. Withal, its creative metaphor of water and brevity condensing a deeper meaning makes it engaging and attractive.
‘Over the wintry’ by Natsume Sōseki captures the desolate and barren beauty of winter in a leafless forest.
'Over the wintry' paints an immersive scene of a desolate winter forest with intricate imagery condensed in thirteen words emphasizing its barrenness. It makes the scene of a chilling winter in an open forest alive by presenting precise nuances of winter, like its sharp and wild wind, which seems piercing, traveling without any obstacles as there are no leaves to soften it. The auditory imagery of the personified wind evokes the sharp sound of winter winds and the tranquil and melancholic atmosphere, triggering diverse memories or ideas in readers' minds. Thus, the poem embodies the essence of winter in its extreme brevity while allowing multiple complex interpretations.
Langston Hughes’ ‘Suicide’s Note’ presents the perspective of someone who wants to take their own life.
This poem from one of the most significant collections of Harlem Renaissance, 'The Weary Blues,' resonates aptly with the modern genre of micropoetry, featuring evocative imagery created by a total of twelve words, intense emotions, condensed meaning, and a dark universal human condition. Initially, it seems as if the speaker is talking about nature's romantic beauty as one imagines a calm and cool river; however, the poem turns with the last line, 'Asked me for a kiss,' which connects it with the title 'Suicide's Note,' creating a dark and wildly unsettling aura while presenting a vulnerable human condition. The calm and silence feel uncanny and eerie, leaving a knot in the stomach as the poem ends.
‘From time to time’ by Matsuo Bashō describes clouds parting to reveal the moon’s light, symbolically representing hope and change.
This Haiku, in its brevity, condenses a scene of serene moonlight watched by humans, a surreal connection, and interaction between nature's elements and their impact on humans. With intricate imagery, it captures a continuous activity of nature as the clouds part to reveal the moon 'from time to time,' impacting the experience of 'moon beholders' while with imagination and creativity, it gives a new perspective to the natural play of clouds and moon, making them sentient beings responding or even caring for humans enjoying the moon. Remarkably, it presents this blended scene featuring nature's beauty, elements, and humans in merely three lines and twelve words.
‘Everything I touch’ by Kobayashi Issa speaks emotionally on what the speaker receives in return when they reach out with tenderness.
The speaker shares an intimate, subjective experience of his life wherein he always receives pain and suffering in relationships or connections he handles with care, love, or tenderness. The imagery of touching with tenderness emphasizes the speaker's emotional investment in terms of care and love, while the image of bramble pricking creates a stark comparison, making the pain of the suffering the speaker receives palpable. Thus, this very short poem, with ten words spread over three lines, portrays a complex, emotional, universal human condition with its carefully crafted imagery; such emotional and subjective expression becomes shareable and relevant for the social media micropoetry.
Nash’s ‘The Cow’ humorously reduces a cow to ‘moo’ and ‘milk,’ highlighting his knack for witty animal sketches.
Ogden Nash is known for his short, lighthearted children's poetry, which often features different animals. This light verse of fourteen words is structured into two rhyming lines of seven words each, ending with 'ilk' and 'milk' respectively, which describe a cow cleverly and humorously, reducing its existence to only mooing and milking. Its short length and rhyme make it an amusing poem for children, while its content allows complex interpretations from adult readers. In its few words, it shows the anthropocentric perspective of humans where the cow's existence is rendered futile except for the human use of its milk, which could definitely trigger a Twitter row in present times.
The cow is of the bovine ilk; One end is moo, the other, milk.
‘l(a… (a leaf falls on loneliness)’ captures the essence of loneliness through the visual fall of a leaf to evoke deep emotion.
Although this poem was written way before the term micropoetry was coined and popularized in the 21st century, it resonates with the genre aptly with its very short form consisting of only a fragmented word 'loneliness' and a fragmented phrase 'a leaf falls' whose letters are scattered across lines visually, creating the poem's length. It heavily subverts the typical characteristics of poetry and the norms of conventional language to maintain brevity and concrete form. With typographical innovation, it imbues life into the imagery of a falling leaf, accentuating its emotional depth by showing dissociation and the slow and lingering pain of loneliness.
Nash’s ‘The Fly’ humorously questions the purpose of flies’ creation, blending wit with a critique of their bothersome presence in life.
This poem is one of Nash's lighthearted poems aimed at children, featuring various animals as subjects. Here, the subject is an insect, a fly, and the speaker questions the purpose of its existence, likely alluding to the mess and annoyance this insect creates in human lives. The poem captures this universal annoyance in its two brief rhyming lines featuring seven words each, evoking humor with the witty remark that God forgot to tell us why he created the fly, while the rhyme makes it amusing to read. Moreover, its wit and humor could become popular on social media platforms, prompting playful banter among netizens on such a 'global issue.'
God in his wisdom made the fly And then forgot to tell us why.
‘Luck’ by Langston Hughes silently protests against the ill-treatment black people suffered in the United States during his time.
Langston Hughes’ ‘Luck’ is a strong example of micro poetry, made up of just eight short, uneven lines. Some lines continue into the next, maintaining a steady pace. Despite its brevity, the poem leaves a lasting emotional impact. When featured on the IRT No. 3 line, it quickly caught readers’ attention. Through a mix of literary devices, Hughes delivers deep emotion and meaning in just a few moments.
‘Visitor’s Room’ by Lee Gurga is a haiku that looks at the experience of someone waiting in a visitor’s room, conveying their emotions.
Haiku are one of the most famous types of micropoetry, as well as being one of the oldest. With that in mind, this is an excellent example of a haiku, meaning that it is also an excellent example of micropoetry. The poet uses the small number of words that make up a haiku effectively to explain the scene and express their feelings, creating a sense of tension in just three short lines.
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