Home › Glossary › Letter P

Picture poem

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A poem arranged visually to form an image related to its subject (also called concrete poetry)

Detailed Definition
A picture poem—also called concrete poetry—arranges words visually on the page to form an image related to the subject (e.g., a poem about a tree shaped like a tree); it balances visual and verbal meaning, requiring careful attention to typography, spacing, and negative space to ensure both aesthetic impact and legibility.
Example
Example in poetry:
Picture poem shapes text to reflect subject, as in George Herbert’s “Easter Wings”; In “The Altar,” Herbert writes a poem in altar shape; Another: concrete poetry like Apollinaire’s “Il Pleut,” where words fall like rain; Or a poem shaped like a tree, with branches of lines
Additional Notes
Picture poem (or concrete poetry) arranges words visually to form an image related to the subject; balances visual and verbal meaning, requiring careful typography and spatial awareness.
Also Known As
Concrete poetry Shape verse Visual lyric Ekphrasis Pictorial poem Visual poem Image verse
Skip to main content