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Notes About The Poem

My meta-poetic grook illustrates the difficulty in writing Grooks for my latest contest: Nailing Jell-O to a Wall.

A grook is a short, witty, aphoristic poem created by Piet Hein in the 1940s, characterised by irony, paradox, brevity, precise language, and rhythmic structure. Hein’s grooks often explore problems, solutions, and human challenges through concise, witty, and philosophical aphorisms, eg He that lets the small things bind him / leaves the great undone behind him.

An aphorism is not attributed to a particular author as it is a general truth or principle generationally handed down through oral traditions, for example (Roman): In front—a precipice / Behind—wolves. (Anon): Let us value the quality of life, not the quantity. (Anon): Water has no effect on plastic flowers.

Picture by DALLE-3

Definitions of Forms

Pouring the verbose 
into cracked moulds.
Pride teeters up close—
poets’ wisdom holds.

satiregrook

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