The Antler

(based on suggestions from @robcorr, @SeanMElliott, @timsterne, @realnixwilliams, @johnnypurple and @ernmalleyscat)

If you can't read them, click on the pictures and they should open up in a larger format.

They're written to be read left-to-right, top-to-bottom as you would normally read a poem (rather than around the curl or anything. Because, you know, one step at a time.)

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Today's poem is based on suggestions from six peeps:

• @robcorr: “Next time you want to experiment with odd forms, how about some concrete poetry?”
• @SeanMElliott: “Your manager is the Mikado. (Make the punishment fit the crime, the punishment fit the crime.)”
• @timsterne: “A superhero named The Antler, who has one antler, and is therefore unbalanced (literally). Also the antler is electrified or something. Please feel free to NOT incorporate that suggestion. I dreamed about The Antler last night. I even dreamed the Antler's insignia. And yes, I know the insignia has two antlers, but it's hard to make an A out of one antler.

• @realnixwilliams: “Growlery: A retreat for times of ill humour. http://phrontistery.info/favourite.html"
• @johnnypurple: “David Lynch cooking Quinoa. Or David Lynch anything. But why not this? Why not quinoa?”

• @ernmalleyscat: “a poem in Fibonacci sequence metre. You'd have to start at 1 rather than 0, but should work from there, though not proceed to infinity, of course. #mission”

Holy crap, this took AGES. Next time I try concrete poetry (a form where the shape the words make is as important as the words themselves), remind me to pick easier shapes to make? Hopefully it's evident that the first image is supposed to be Tim's Antler logo (thanks for the nightmares Tim), and the second is supposed to be a (somewhat wonky) Fibonacci spiral. When I was sitting at my laptop this morning trying to fit all your suggestions into the shapes I wanted to create, I decided it wouldn't work. Then I had a pot of tea, and changed my mind. I've had to upload them as pictures, because cutting and pasting from Word to Blogger removed all my formatting. Which is kind of the point, Blogger.

And I know I haven't explicitly mentioned David Lynch or quinoa, but there are quotes from his oddly threatening cooking demonstration tucked away in there.

I am inordinately pleased with how these turned out. Even the thumbnail images on my computer, where you can't read the words, look so pretty. Excellent suggetsions, good on you everybody.