Back in April 2016 I had the idea of using crossword puzzle clues to write poetry. Don’t know if anyone else has done this before me, but as far as I know I’m the first. I’m now writing one every day and will be creating a chapbook that will be available on Amazon in September… I hope. Not sure how their self-publishing works, but it’ll be ready to publish September 1st. How quickly they can get it on the site is another matter.
I didn’t format this one to show which parts were crossword clues — let me know whether or not you like knowing the crossword puzzle references in the comments below. I make sure to reference which puzzle I got the clues from in the title.
Here it is:
What’s More (NY Times crossword: July 11th, 1995) by Claire Fiori
At the gunslinger’s command,
the home wrecker fled in a frenzy.
No time to have an opinion
To beg,
To gawk,
Only to leave at full speed, as a ship,
before her brain was burglarized.
“Omigod!”
He took her dough,
Nail polish, valued furs and till bills.
What got her years and years of notice
will now provide contempt and neglect.
The now igneous flow of prestige
Greets her brazenly on her forearm bone
To harden and petrify, to make her
a beam fastener for the roof support
that is her life.
No more concerto moments.
No more of Verdi’s villains.
Sell your BMW 535i and get
knocked down a notch.
Meet Mrs. Jetson and her mediocrity,
and do penance for your petulance
and greed.
Wish on a rabbit’s foot and never want
What’s more…
Before long, Evergreens and Alpine songs
will make her of sound mind.
Love affairs on an inlaid floor
bring her a new kind of hygiene.
She is at peace in her Bermuda, for one.
Concisely Claire 
Crossword puzzle clues are a great idea 🙂 I’ve published a few books on Amazon. The process is easy enough. You’re responsible for editing, cover design, page numbers, etc. So however u create your book, that’s how the finished product will look. Once you’re finished with all the details, you can “proof” your book to make sure you’re happy with it. When it’s time to hit publish, it only takes like 24 hours for it to be available online. If you publish an ebook for Kindle as well, be sure to read the formatting guidelines. For example, you’ll want to put a page break at the end of each poem, so they can be on their own separate page in the ebook. Best of luck ❤
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Awesome! Thank you so much for the helpful info. I’ll have to check out some of your works! Thanks for reading! ☺
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Love the idea, and love the poem!
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Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it. ☺ Thanks for reading!
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Really interesting idea. Considering you have so many different platforms of writing for your blog, have you considered using menus to organise your posts into different categories? Someone recommended this to me ages ago and it’s been the best advice since. If your theme doesn’t allow for menus, I’d suggest finding one that does, not only is it easier for the reader to explore your site, it ticks all the compartmentalising boxes in my life. Check out my menus to see what I mean! Hope this helped.
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I was just reading a bit about that this morning, actually! I think my theme does allow it… thank you for bringing that up! It’s a great idea!
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