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| Unsplash photo by Torsten Dederichs |
You Just Don't Get It
Befuddled and muddled
your noggin's confused
puzzled and troubled
you're coming unglued
mixed up and perplexed
you've been aggravated
your head is unscrewed, you're
addlepated.
©Mary Lee Hahn
This poem is a Definito, "a free verse poem of 8-12 lines (aimed at readers 8-12 years old) that highlights wordplay as it demonstrates the meaning of a less common word, which always ends the poem." (Hmm...I seem to have missed the bit about "free verse." Oh, well. We'll write off my rhymes as meeting the "wordplay" requirement. What good is a rule if it's not bent now and then?) I chose "addlepated" because it was the word of the day for July 29 on my Merriam Webster dictionary app. And it's fun to say, even if it's NOT fun to feel that way!
Heidi, at my juicy little universe, is the inventor of this form and our Poetry Friday Roundup hostess this week. She and her Sunday Poetry Peeps, the Poetry Swaggers, are playing with this form and Heidi invited me to join in since I tried her 2009 challenge with "Phlebotomist."
Addlepated is a great word, and your poem spells it out perfectly. I agree that when you're playing with words it's sometimes hard not to rhyme. I'm sure you're excited to share these with students. I know I am!
ReplyDeleteOh, my gosh....what a great word! I love it. And, the rhythm of this makes it fun...humor too. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI like trying to guess the word as I read the definito. Addlepated was a total surprise! I think there may be a few defintos lurking in some classrooms this fall.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! Addlepated is a fun word and your poem brings out the playfulness in full! Love it!
ReplyDeleteFANTASTIC word (aren't there a lot of them?) and now I'm wondering if the title should NOT be the word in *uestion. I guess it depends if you're 8f or 58, whether you know the word or not. "Free verse" was just my way of ensuring that you get to write the poem the way you need to to pull if off, which you totally did, kid!
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! I did know what it meant! lol Love your definito and the wonderful word choice throughout! (Psssstt--don't tell, but I rhymed one of mine, too!)
ReplyDeleteThe fun of this word had me thinking of a silly word I encountered and poeticise many years ago. I just hunted it out - and it also fits the definito definition - excepting the free verse/rhyme thing. Here's mine, for 'snollygoster'; https://katswhiskers.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/snollygoster-a-poem (Another rule-breaker is that I mentioned my word twice in my poem - but once is at the end!)
ReplyDeleteHa! You've taken me back to one grandmother who used "addlepated" a lot, mostly in frustration with someone. Terrific, Mary Lee.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised at the number of people who didn't know this word! I wonder if it's regional or generational?
DeleteI love your poem and the word Mary Lee– so much that I had to stop reading Poetry Friday posts and write a definito using addlepated! Perhaps I'll share it next week… Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see your take on addlepated! I feel it often when I forget a name or can't find the word I'm looking for!
DeleteThis is so fun and clever and tightly-written. Awesome, Mary Lee!
ReplyDelete10:05 am and I've already learned something new today! I have never heard this word before. Addled? Yes. Addlepated? No. You've done an awesome job of defining it, though!
ReplyDeleteMary Lee, I love the word you chose and can see how your students will create definitos with your delightful poem as their model.
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