POEM A DAY – March 13 – VANESSA SHIELDS

Today’s poem is in the form a Lupus Teleform. The form parallels an acrostic, but instead of using a word or name in the vertical position, it uses a number; a student number, telephone number, etc..Then, you can either use the number to create a line with that many syllables…or with that many words. For example: 2-5-4 = happy (2 syllables)-birthday to you friend (5 syllables)-you are so old! *If there is a zero in the number, you can leave the line blank and/or insert an ellipsis. (I cheated and used a parenthetical!)

I couldn’t remember my childhood phone number, which is terrifying. I think there are a few fives in it! But I could remember my grandparent’s phone number…and so that’s what I used. And I followed the syllable format.

There’s some Italian in the poem: Pronto! Means – hello!, and Si means yes…

Before (519)

Pronto!
Italy calls on
Sunday

Rotary phone
connects births, deaths, money, joy, pain
Si?
(for privacy, go upstairs and use the bedroom phone)