Beau Present Constrained Writing Prompt#
In college, I experimented with a constrained writing system called the Beau Present. This is an experimental poem often prepared as a wedding gift. The names of the betrothed serve both as the title of the poem and as a challenge to the writer. Using only words made up of letters found in the title, the poet must then construct a poem. The results are almost always a mess, but they can be fun to read. More than that, I think this form is exceptionally fun to write.
As an author, not only do you have to find words that fit the constraint, but you have to put them together into passable verse. What I think is especially interesting is the unexpected imagery and sentence structure you’re forced to adopt to fit the writing constraint.
Why Would You Do This To Yourself?#
Speaking personally, half the time when I sit down to write something “new” or “original” I just churn out the same three or four ideas I usually write. So writing using extremely restrictive constraints like this helps refresh my perspective and make me pay attention to what I’m writing.
For my work listed below, I decided to challenge myself with an extremely limited selection of letters: those found within the word “grimoire”, which is a sort of magic book. After the poem is a short list of some of the more esoteric words I used.
The result has this angry, growling sound that permeates the entire verse. Not surprising considering the source material, but fun to read out loud if you want people to think you’re reciting an ancient spell that will make fungus grow out of their eyebrows.
Grimoire
Rigor me ire—e mime me, Rimer. I merge moiré, gem rime, e grime. I erg rio, Rome Emir, e reemerge Romeo, Même e grim. I’m germ, o’er, o’er, e o’er; Ergo I gro. I’m Grimoire; mire mirror, grim memoir—
Moore ego, I’m ‘ere, I’m meeger. Go girr, go gore meri. I’m ere Io. Gimmie’ more ormer. More roe. Gie me more moer, Ogre.
Words Used#
- Grimoire: A book of magic spells and invocations. Sometimes called a “black book.”
- Ire: anger.
- e: Italian translation of “and”
- Rimer: an archaic spelling of “rhymer”
- Moiré: silk fabric made to ripple using heat and pressure
- Rime: In context “frost” or “frosted.”
- Erg: an area of shifting sand dunes in Sahara
- O’er: over
- Même: French for “same”
- Gro: grow
- ‘ere vs. ere: ‘ere as an abbreviation of “here,” ere as “before”
- Io: Greek priestess of Hera. A moon of Jupiter.
- Gie: Scottish for “give”
- Ormer: abalone
- Moer: Afrrikaans for: the womb; a despicable person; furious, enraged.
