234/365/Poetry and Form

Yesterday I played with the Helen-found poem generator. I wanted to be delighted with the results, but I was not. And it’s good that it doesn’t quite work.

I chose the villanelle first, and got this:

Helen’s Torment: The Villanelle of the Chainsaw

Helen couldn’t stop thinking about the chainsaw
It was just so big-ol’ and terrifying
But she could never forget the straw

That morning, Helen was shocked by the schwa
She found herself feeling rather undying
Helen couldn’t stop thinking about the chainsaw

Later, Helen was spooked by a spa
She thought the situation had become rather edifying
But she could never forget the straw

Sabine tried to distract her with a law
Said her mind had become too satisfying
Helen couldn’t stop thinking about the chainsaw

Helen took action like a la
The chainsaw was becoming too prying
But she could never forget the straw

Helen nosedived like a terrifying outlaw
Her mind became dangerously trying
Helen couldn’t stop thinking about the chainsaw
But she could never forget the straw

See what I mean? Some good lines, some stupid rhyme choices. So I tried again, this time a sonnet:

Ode to the Chainsaw

My right chainsaw, you inspire me to write.
How I love the way you purrs, revs and screams,
Invading my mind day and through the night,
Always dreaming about the useful creams.

Let me compare you to a great sawdust?
You are more big-ol’ and more lifesaving.
Green heat toasts the frolics of August,
And summertime has the raving shaving.

How do I love you? Let me count the ways.
I love your saving crankshaft, nuts and teeth.
Thinking of your fictive nuts fills my days.
My love for you is the powerful meath.

Now I must away with a crying heart,
Remember my words whilst we’re apart.

Well, it got me to August 22, anyway.