Twittery is a tweet (or post) that contains a poem
I have been thinking about my post Twittery: volume 1 and how most of the comments left seemed to indicate that it was a single stand alone poem. While I know that it is dot pointed to indicate each unique poem that I have tweeted through my twittter account @ally_cat I now realise that it gives the impression of a single poem. I probably added to that impression by picking an order that I listed the tweets in based on what looked best.
However, it was not until I heard Andrew Long speak about a twitter narrative that I realised that even though I tweeted each poem at different times my twittery may be seen as a poetic conversation I via twitter. Although the order I listed is not the actual order I tweeted each poem, as a writer I have a style. As a poet I write with a particular voice. When you consider the sample came from a particular period the style would of course lend itself to been seen as a single poem.
I have found twitter an extraordinary way to express myself. Occasionally it can just be to jot down a piece that is incomplete, but mostly it is to express a moment in a unique one off piece. The impact others who write (what I have coined) twittery has on me is something I have never experienced before. Yet I have never sought to duplicate a style of poetry beyond endeavouring to expand my ability to write poetry. Twitter has allowed me to create a poetry narrative that is random and yet it is still my voice. Through twitter I can follow the narrative of other poets, artists and others that have something I wish to hear.
Do I think that all poets should try twitter, no. Is it a way to get others to read your poetry, no. Though both these things can happen on a small scale. For me it is a way to capture a moment. Short pieces that are only worth sharing if someone can read a single tweet and that may be all they ever read. Twittery is the challenge to fit a complete single poem into 140 characters that also includes tags like #poem. I walk to work and the sun lights the sky in a way the leaves me breathless or the clouds look like a patchwork quilt. Now fit that within a 140 characters.
One of the tools I use the most along with twitter is twitter magnets. This is a way for me to unwind and I can easily spend 30 minutes composing a single tweet. Pick words and then refresh, pick more and add them, refresh, pick new ones and reject some of the old and then refresh. All the time I am doing this the music plays in the background and from this I create poem that I then tweet and share - @twittermagnets.
Some tags I have found useful to follow and add to my tweets are: #poem; #haiku; #sixwords
Some wonderful poets or groups that I love to follow are: @poetachica; @magnusholmgren; @handfulofstones; @twihaiku
The narrative that I am tweeting is random and is scattered amongst other thoughts about my life, my interests, my work, and other things that I encounter. Yet amongst the randomness I found gems that I want to highlight and I will continue to do so at different times through my blog of poetry.
See the twittery amongst the tweets, my voice, the narrative of a poet...
