I love to Rant

What is a Rant?

An emotionally charged diatribe expressing a strong distaste or anger or a declamatory, often pompous, assertion.  The fluidity of the prose poem lends itself to the rant. The prose poem’s organization by sentence seems a natural fit for such rambling declarations as rants.  (adapted from “An Introduction to the Prose Poem by Brian Clements and Jamey Dunham)

Here’s just a slice of a rant prose poem from “In Training” by Jerry McGuire:

“I’m running down the street in my sister’s prom gown yelling help me help me please won’t someone help me and all around me are streamers and confetti with pretty strobes and background “Blue Bayou” on three Telecasters, bass, drums, and farfisa, but it’s like someone flips a switch and then I’m ripping down the same street purple eye-shadow with starsparkles, yellowy rouge, crimson lips super shiny, lime-green hot pants and black mesh stiletto heels…”

McGuire’s rant is one sentence.  I love rants.  Now, couldn’t this work as a flash fiction as well? It’s too long to post here but you get the visual.  What are your thoughts on this piece so far?  Do you want the rest in the next post?

I’ll be posting on prose poetry craft and cross overs to flash fiction. Learn and love to play with both forms as they intermingle and play off each other.

Thought for the week:

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”   Jack London