Shape poems are a rare occurrence in my writing. Form, line breaks, and white space can add a lot to a piece without saying a word. But sometimes, they can be too much. In the past, when I’ve attempted a shape poem, I ended up discarding the form because it was more of a distraction than a compliment to the piece. This was the first one that I felt worked. I even had my writing buddy read this as a piece of microfiction or as a piece of shape poetry to see which one she liked more. Much to both of our surprise, the shape poem won.

Read “A Short Observation on the Diaspora of Sea Glass” in the July installment of The Hennepin Review