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A Paint Chip Poem Is Like . . .

Can you guess from the title of this post what entry in the S section of the poetry dictionary I’ve selected for our challenge today? If I had pulled the paint chips first, I might have picked a different entry, but there’s no going back now.

The poetry term or concept we are working with today is simile, defined as follows:

SIMILE (sim’-uh-lee; Latin, “like”) A comparison that uses some linking word (like, as, such as, how) to make the likeness clear. A kind of metaphor (though a true metaphor does not use linking words).

In mathematical symbols, a simile would require an approximate sign (≈), meaning “similar to.” In Dylan Thomas’s “Fern Hill,” there is a “fire green as grass,” and the poem ends:

Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.

A simile generally sounds more casual, and less emphatic, than a metaphor. Instead of a leap, it provides a visible bridge linking two things, indicating one likeness among many differences. It gives both pleasure and information.

the poetry dictionary, pg 285–86.

The Challenge

You challenge, dear poets, is to write a poem using simile. Sounds easy, I know. But here’s the catch: for every simile in your poem, one of the paint chip words or phrases must be on one side of the linking word. That means the number of similes in your poem depends on how many of the paint chips you choose to color with.

The paint chip words and phrases you have to choose from are bluebird, sweet ‘n’ sour, taxi, deep dark wood, vintage turquoise, ultraviolet, and sparkle.

I’m only requiring you to pick one, but as usual you can pick up some useless bonus points if you use them all. And a gold star if you can figure out how to put two of them on opposite sides of your simile linking word.

My Poem

A Paint Chip Is Like . . .

Her singing is like a bluebird's melody
Soft and sweet on the wind

I listen intently as she sings in the night
Each note as lovely as a sparkle star

As mesmerizing as ultraviolet light 
As soothing as a deep dark wood

Your Turn

Now it’s your turn to create a simile or seven. You can share you poem in the comments, or you can post it on your blog and drop a link in the comments. Or both. Be sure to read the other poems that are shared and let the poets know their poems are like taxi taking you to destinations unknown, or something like that.

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Linda Kruschke

I am a Jesus Freak, and I don't care who knows it. I am a wife, mother, sister, aunt, daughter, and friend. My blood family is only part of the larger family of Christ that I belong to. I love to write, especially about my dear Savior.

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18 Responses

  3. For years my profile name oh social media is tqhousecat. I never revealed what tq means. This week I painted one and thought it time to tell. I even posted a picture and wrote a poem on dverse but still did not say much. This prompt is perfect and I guess it is time.
    A little sad, but I will get over it.
    Turquoise, my birthstone. December.

    The Revealing
    This vintage turquoise housecat like ultraviolet rays
    Incite my palate sweet ‘n’ sour like sparkle in the sun
    Such a rare shielded species
    A precious gem dearly cherished
    Now displayed gingerly
    Securely guarded
    Do not blemish

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/jX2zemn5qRU3TKLS7

    Reply

  4. For years my profile name oh social media is tqhousecat. I never revealed what tq means. This week I painted one and thought it time to tell. I even posted a picture and wrote a poem on dverse but still did not say much. This prompt is perfect and I guess it is time.
    A little sad, but I will get over it.
    Turquoise, my birthstone. December.

    I hope these are similes.

    The Revealing
    This vintage turquoise housecat like ultraviolet rays
    Incite my palate sweet ‘n’ sour like sparkle in the sun
    Such a rare shielded species
    A precious gem dearly cherished
    Now displayed gingerly
    Securely guarded
    Please do not blemish

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/jX2zemn5qRU3TKLS7

    Reply

  6. Deep dark wood is soothing as you mentioned in your poem.

    ——————–
    Sparkle Like Sunshine

    A bouquet’s like a bluebird who
    without a sound knows what to do
    and vintage turquoise like the sky.
    The evening comes so let us try
    to understand like deep dark wood
    and do in darkness what is good
    when daylight trusts us on our own.
    Let’s sparkle as deep truth we’ve known.

    Reply
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