This free verse poem is full of word play, metaphors and strong verbs. I usually prefer to write with rhyme and rhythm but this is one of those occasions when I felt that free verse would be better as it gave so much freedom to play with words that have two different meanings.
My goal is to be
the richest person
who ever lived.
I aspire to be great in humility and lowliness
To be rich in appreciation, love and joy.
To have a treasure chest full of special memories
To invest in people and reap incredible rewards
To amass a collection of thank yous,
And ensure a good return on the people I’ve taken a gamble on
To earn love and affection from all the special bonds I have
To be dripping in golden thoughts and positivity
To achieve fame and notoriety as my alias ‘someone’
To build an empire of like-minded volunteers
To know that the world’s a better place because of my existence.
Then I’ll be the richest person in the world.
That’s my business plan.
I’m looking for investors;
Do you want in?
I remember reading this poem for the first time to my daughter and noticing her surprise at the opening sentence, until I read on and she recognised the real meaning of what I was trying to say! The use of word play in this case adds emphasis to the point that I’m making.
Word play like this can be great fun, but thinking of the idea in the first place is usually the hardest part. I tend to happen upon an idea by accident and make a note for when I have time to try writing a poem and extend upon the idea. Often word play phrases are used in every day life, particularly in comedy, so listen out for them, and then find ways to apply them. If you would like to understand more about word play, or see some amusing examples of its use, look in the TEACHERS’ PAGE, FIGURATIVE WRITING, WORD PLAY category above.
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