Tenses sense nets

 

July 2, 1974  (I was 29)

 

Tenses      sense nets

                                   

   Tense sense      send tense

 

       Ten cents      sen tence

 

    Tense sents      cnet nes

 

   Tense scents      cnet nesses

                   

    Tense cents      tence nesses

 

     Tense says      ten sentences

 

     Tense nets      ten setive

 

      Ten sense      tense set

 

       Net sense      tenes set                                  

 

         First published in West Coast Poetry Review

 

 

QUESTIONS for an eighth- grade discussion:

What do you sense about this poem?

How much is the poem worth?

What sport is the poem about?

Why is the poem arranged as it is?

If it’s a sports poem, what’s missing?

What did Robert Frost say about poetry and tennis?

Is the poet playing with Robert Frost?

What pair of lines is the only complete thought?

What words are neologisms, words made up for the poem?

Does the poem have a main idea?

What does this poem do?

 

DIRECTIONS for an eighth- grade writing assignment:

1.  Examine the example of “concrete poetry” above. 

2.  List ten sentences explaining ideas you found in the poem.

3.  Write a paragraph explaining your idea of what “concrete poetry” must be

     if this is an example of it.