Staccato Poetry

"Staccato" is the Italian word, meaning detached. In music a dot is usually placed above the music note, indicating those notes should be distinctly seperate, while also being short in length.

"Staccato Poetry" is a term applying to abrubt, short, detached, distinct, choppy poetry; a term used by poet Maia Szekeley to describe her style of writing.

Similar to Haiku, but not the same. Staccato Poetry has no set meter or form. The point is brevity. Saying as much as you can, in as few words as possible.

This kind of poetry should have a musical quality to it, abrubt and distinct, when read.

This poetic style can also be attributed to Belfast writer Ciaran Carson, whose 2003 poem 'Breaking' broke from his usual meandering works, to be labelled Staccato.

Examples of Staccato Poetry by Szekeley.

---

airplanes float

unmoving in the sky

tiny orbs of light

like stars, flickering

all those people

going somewhere

--

i want to feel you with palms,

and fingers, and fingertips,

mouth too, lips

--

Breaking by Ciaran Carson

red alert

car parked

in a red

zone

about to

disintegrate

it's

oh

so quiet

you can

almost

hear it rust

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