Poetry with Onomatopoeia
A few examples
For #NatPoWriMo, one of our prompts was to learn about Onomatopoeia, a literary device that evokes aural imagery. This is a device I have used in previous work and a few of those works come to mind.
on·o·mat·o·poe·ia
/ˌänəˌmadəˈpēə,ˌänəˌmädəˈpēə/
noun
the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle ).
the use of onomatopoeia for rhetorical effect. Google Definitions
Here are three examples of how to incorporate Onomatopoeia into your work. The three are very different in how this technique is used. One, with blatant, visual Onomatopoetic words, the second is descriptive of the sound and uses the word “crackle” to develop the scene, and the third is a piece of prose that incorporates Onomatopoeia in both description and dialogue.
In the Absence of Dryer Sheets
You zip and zap Snap! Sssssssssssttt! Snap! Lilliputan lightning licks and licks a tiny follicular forest lifting high, high as tip-toed ants Snap! Ssssssssssttt! Snap!
Dead Lie Sleeping
Fistfuls of gravel thrown against a cellophane wall, they crackle down… I turn to see it, but only the dusk climbs across these headstones too tired to shout their owner’s names. The dead lie sleeping, waiting to rise like a burn in the back of your throat, a meal the earth can’t stomach. They should keep their eyes closed, these sleeping children.
FICTION | The Hummingbird and the Bee | a fable
One sunny afternoon, a bee was buzzing by and spied a hanging basket of sorts. It was full of red-glowing, sweet nectar, bigger than any flower she’d ever seen. She was oh-so tired and oh-so thirsty so she settled in for a rest and a drink.
“Oh no! You don’t!” came a voice with a steady purr of wings. In swooped the hummingbird with a sly and precarious smile. “That’zzzzzzzzzzzz not for you!”
“But why?” asked the bee, wiping a syrupy drip from her chin. “I am so very tired and so very thirsty.”
“But that’zzzzzzzzzzz for us huuuummingbirdzzzzzzzzz, and not for the likes of you!” hissed the hummingbird, the smile replaced with a suspicious glare.
“But why?” asked the bee. “There’s enough for you and there’s enough for me.”
“Oh pffft,” huffed the hummingbird, swooping in for a drink. The bee crawled to the side and watched the flutter of wings and the shine of the sun, sparkling like jewels in the ruby-throated thing.
“You are very pretty,” said the bee, smiling her biggest smile.
“I know!” The hummingbird gloated between slurps, but without a second to spare, zoomed past the bee sending her swirling into the air.
The bee shook her head and steadied herself, eyeing the drink.
But why, she thought, can’t I have any? She felt small. She felt her wings were puny. She felt more tired than every before. She scanned the yard and not a flower in sight. She thought, there must be a way to make this all right.
The trip to the sweet nectar was a long one for the little bee, but every day she made her way past the flowerless field and to the sweet drink. Each day she was greeted with swoops and smirk, but eventually she was able to drink.
“That’zzzzzzzzzzz all mine!” the hummingbird would declare.
“I think there’s plenty for us to share.” The bee would say quietly and muster a smile.
One lazy afternoon the hummingbird decided to sit. The bee was so stunned. She didn’t know if she liked this one bit.
“Why did you say this is not for me?” asked the bee.
“Well,” said the hummingbird, “Because you are…not like me.”
“We both have feet,” said the bee.
“Yezzzzzzz, that is true, but my feet are delicate — much prettier than you.”
“We both have wings,” said the bee.
“Yezzzzzzz, that is true, but my wings are graceful — so much better than you.”
“We both like sweet things,” said the bee. “I don’t understand why you are better than me.”
The hummingbird thought for a minute and looked over the bee. The tiny legs, the fuzzy back, the bulbous eyes. The tiny little wings — quite remarkable they could even fly.
The two had a chat about this and that and soon the two shared a laugh. The hummingbird whistled a sweet song for the bee and the bee chased her around and around the tall pine trees. A friendship began to bloom.
As the days passed, the hummingbird thought on the smiles and the laughs and the racing between trees. She thought of how boring her life had been before bee.
The moral of this story is a simple one, you see. That no one is better than you, better than me. It’s simply untrue that being different should make things unfair — when there is more than plenty for all of us to share. When you take a moment to sit and to listen and to smile — you can see the unique beauty, the inspiration, the friendships worthwhile.
#NatPoWriMo, Day 13 — About this prompt:
April 13
Write a poem with a word that demonstrates onomatopoeia.
Thank you for reading and for following along with National Poetry Month writings from poets all over the internet. Poets write because they must — and we understand your reading is a blessing to us and our work. So, we thank you.