So why would we want to craft cringeworthy verses or verbal train wrecks? Why would we want to commit poetic blunders? Well, why not? And Bad Poetry Day (August 18th) gives us even more of a reason to do so! So here is a guide for you – a ‘how to write bad poetry that deserves to be forgotten’ or maybe you can’t forget it once you do read it.. kind of those, once seen cannot be unseen things!!

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Poetic Sundays: Bad Poetry that Deserves to be Forgotten

Per Poetry Nation, Bad Poetry Day was originally created with the intention of writing bad poetry and submitting it back to your school teachers from years ago!! And like the website also says, go ahead and write bad poetry simply because you can, or maybe to irritate friends and family, and well, it is not actually easy to write bad poetry, so take it on as a challenge!

Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and also that love is blind (so anything I write is always wonderful in the eyes of my mom and even my kids), so what is ‘bad poetry’ for me might actually be something you like and vice verse-a!! But it is all about having fun, so do it.

A How-to Guide for Writing Bad Poetry: aka Tips and Tricks

Writing bad poetry might seem like an easy task, but it requires a certain level of creativity and intentionality. Here are some tips to help you write bad poetry. Feel free to use one or more or all of them in writing your poem.

1. The Clash of Clichés: Load your poem with as many clichés as possible, so much that they lose meaning.
2. Mismatched Metaphors: Mix metaphors in the most confusing and illogical ways possible. For example, “His thoughts were a maze of mismatched socks, tangled in the dryer of his mind.”
3. Reasonless Random Rhymes: Use rhyming words regardless of whether they make sense or not. Go ahead and force rhymes as well!! Feel free to ignore flow or rhythm completely.
4. Adore those Adverbs and Adjectives: Add as many adverbs, passionately, not lightly at all, as well as adjectives to describe everything in excruciating detail. Instead of “a red rose,” say “an exquisitely crimson, deeply scarlet red rose.”
5. Extremities in Language: You can either choose to ramp up the melodrama by using excessively emotional language. Every mundane event should be treated as a life-altering crisis. Or you can make it all totally monotonous, regardless of the subject matter. You could repeat boring phrases to emphasize that. Even better, switch between these extremes! Another option – combine formal, high-register language with informal, colloquial speech in a way that creates a jarring effect
6. Random Line Breaks: I have already said this before and this time again, just a little differently. Go ahead and ignore the natural flow of your thoughts by inserting line breaks at random places.
7. Complete inConsistency: Switch between tenses, perspectives, and moods erratically. Jump from first person to third person without warning.
8. Inconsistent Personification: Personify objects or abstract concepts in one line, then abandon the personification in the next without explanation.
9. ilLogical Love: Take detours, go off the beaten route, or rather on tangents and introduce unrelated thoughts and ideas randomly. Throw in an invented word or two to add to the confusion!
10. Insert Unrelated Details: Include random details and anecdotes that have no relevance to the theme, disrupting any potential coherence.
11. Obvious Endings or Everythings: Make the ending of your poem incredibly predictable, leaving no room for interpretation or surprise. Or go ahead and include an overly long title that leaves no surprises to the reader.
12. Excessive and Random Punctuation: Scatter punctuation marks randomly, ignoring grammatical rules and their usual functions!:] Use punctuation everywhere?!?!? Embrace ellipses… and exclamation marks!!!??????
13. (over)Use Emojis and Internet Speak: Freely sprinkle in emojis, acronyms, and internet slang to make your poem seem out of touch and cringe-worthy.

Remember, the goal here is to intentionally break all the rules of good poetry. Have fun with it and let your inner un-poet shine!!

My Attempt at Bad Poetry (Have Done it Before Though)

Infinitely Bad???!!
Infinity Is like a circle, simple not fancy..
Perfectly round, not a sphere though
Like that hotel — !! always with vacancy?!!
Where there is no 🚫🛌 last room, so
Infinity: well, It’s kind of like a math problem gone awry,
Kind of like a never-ending pie in the sky.
Also kind of like a 🎶🔄 broken record’s 🎶🔄 music, dance, song,
That goes on and on, screech!!!!!!@@@@## screech%%%%*** oh so wrong.🎵🔊❌
Infinity, you’re like a never-ending void, without a stop,….
Like a never-ending never-ending, nonstop.:-)
You are eternity’s cousin, maybe???
Are or you a friend of forever, right?? Infinity?? 🗣️💥🔊INFINITY😱🔈🔈🚨!!??
It is also eternal stretches of mind-numbing ⏳ time,
Like a never-ending, ever-going, no-end-looking cheesy rhyme.
Infinity, you’re bottomless, well!!!
Filled FULL of with count less stars ✨ for making spells..🔮🔮
Infinity is – you – kind of like a perplexing notion,
Kind of like a bottomless potion of seemingly totally stunning glorious cosmic lotion.
Would I want to be lost in infinities — vast, unending sea,
No, I’d rather have a cup of chamomile tea!!!! ?☕🏖️😅☕🏖️😅???:-) -)
~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites

Recently

On My Blog and Home Front

My home front has moved this past week as I flew to India to spend time with my mom for a few days and restore her strength just a little at least. It is just me while the rest of my fam is back home in the US – back to school soon for my kids after all!

• Sunday Scribblings #155: Look Out, Here Come Wondrous Word Webs!
• Zebra and Zeke the Weather Geek Under the Amazing Umbrella
• From Romantic Comedies to Love Poems through Long Times

Upcoming

On My Blog and Home Front

I hope to stop by my blog a couple of times at least with randomnesses. And it is always good to be in India though I will be homebound this time.

This Week’s Celebrations

The Literary and Close-to-it Celebrations

• The literary birthdays this week. August 13th celebrates the master of mystery Alfred Hitchcock, followed by Danielle Steel on August 14th. Then it is Walter Scott, E. Nesbit, and Steig Larsson for the 15th of August; Charles Bukowski and Georgette Heyer on the 16th; then the 17th celebrates Ted Hughes and V. S. Naipaul; Nicole Krauss on the 18th; followed by so many literary greats on the 19th of August with Frank McCourt, Jack Canfield, John Dryden, Jonathan Coe, Ogden Nash, and Veronica Roth; the 20th celebrates H.P. Lovecraft and Jacqueline Susann
• It is Love Your Bookshop Day on the 14th of August, so go ahead and show some love to your favorite local bookish haunt..
• Another fun literary holiday this week with National Bad Poetry Day on the 18th of August!

The Foodie Celebrations

• National Creamsicle Day is sure to help beat the heat on the 14th
• Some more sweetness follows with National Lemon Meringue Pie Day on the 15th of August
• followed by National Rum Day on the 16th
• And then, the 18th observes both National Ice Cream Pie Day and National Fajita Day
• We have National Soft Ice Cream Day and Potato Day on the 19th of August
• End the week with more sweetness on the 20th which is National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day

The Other Celebrations

• National Resurrect Romance Week – Second Full Week
• 14th is World Lizard Day
• August 15th is India’s Independence Day. Also National Relaxation Day and World Greatness Day (this one is simply to celebrate the greatness in everyone of us – ourselves and those we know around us too).
• Spread a few smiles and laughs with jokes on National Tell a Joke Day on the 16th of August (also my mom’s birthday!!). And be real too, for it is National Authenticity Day
• On the 17th, go thrifting to observe National Thrift Shop Day
• The 18th reminds us to keep going with Never Give Up Day, and reminds us of the wonders of chance with Serendipity Day
• It is World Honey Bee Day and also International Geocaching Day on the 19th of August (both observed annually on the third Saturday of August). There are a few other cool holidays on the 19th including International Orangutan Day, National Photography Day, World Humanitarian Day, and World Photo Day!
• The 20th of August is National Radio Day and marks the beginning of a week for one of the (or the) most important resources on earth – water. World Water Week is from Aug 20 – 24 this year.

Wrapping up my Sunday Scribblings

So dear reader, this was it for my Sunday Scribblings. I would love to hear your comments on my post(s), poems, poetic Sunday section, and anything else. And which of these days do you plan to celebrate (or any other)? 

Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon.