Blitz

WHAT IS A BLITZ?

A blitz is a poem consisting of 50 short lines, with a fixed repetition of words. First crafted by Robert Keim, blitz is a tough yet popular style of poetry among poets all over the world. Due to its strict rules and composition, this style of poetry is hard to achieve.

FORMAT OF A BLITZ:

A blitz poem has 25 couplets, that are unmetered but short in length. The first word of the poem is usually an object or a cliche. The second line begins with the same word as the first line. The third and fourth lines begin with the last word of the second line and this sequence continues till the 48th line. Following that are the last words of the 48th and 47th lines which form the 49th and 50th lines respectively. The title of a blitz comprises of three words, which includes a preposition or a conjunction joining the first words of the 3rd and 47th line. One of the most popular blitz poems is "Bucket of Poetry" by Robert Keim.

"Kick the can

Kick the bucket

Bucket of chum

Bucket of worms

Worms in dirt

Worms in my brain

Brains in my head

Brains in my book

Book of lies

Book of secrets

Secrets in the chambers of the human heart

Secrets in the diary of my teenage sister

Sister of mercy

Sister in a habit

Habit of swearing

Habit of smoking

Smoking gun

Smoking outside

Outside of the box

Outside of what is normal

Normal people

Normal days

Days and nights

Days upon days

Days of storms

Days of no power

Power to the people

Power over people

People who need people

People on the streets

Streets of Philadelphia

Street sweeping

Sweeping under the rug

Sweeping her off her feet

Feet grinding your face

Feet sweating in old shoes

Shoes for the homeless

Shoes for rich women

Women who want

Women who need

Need a change of scenery

Need to stop

Stop needing

Stop reading

Reading poetry

Reading poetry

Poetry takes

Poetry gives

Gives…

Takes…"

(by Robert Keim)

Note: None of poems we present belong to us. We present an organised record and analysis of them. All copyrights are reserved to the original author and we are not using plagiarized work. The originality of writes are verified to the fullest extent we can.

TIPS FOR WRITING A BLITZ:

1. Following the specific structure of the poem
2. Starting the poem using the image of an object or a cliche.
3. Using words that are easy to use in different contexts.
4. While writing the 3rd and the 47th lines, start them with words that you want to use in the title.

Blitz poetry has become popular due to its challenging composition. So dear reader, pick up your pens and start writing.
Cheers!
- Japman Aneja (member of team PoeTree FoRest)