Waves

a. This photograph reminded me of a poem by Robert Southey called 'The Cataracts of Lodore'. n the
poem, he lists hundreds of verbs. Try using a similar idea:

The waves came
Rumbling and stumbling,
Stumbling and bumbling,
Rushing and gushing,
pouring and soaring,
dashing and thrashing,
splashing and slashing,
groaning and moaning..

b. A different idea would be to look carefully at the different shapes created in the photo and use it as a
way to generate similes:

The waves remind me
Of hair curling,
A tunnel growing,
A watery mouth opening,
A sleek skateboard ramp,
A park slide,
The white of an old man's beard,
A thunder cloud billowing,
Sails catching the wind's icy breath..

c. You might try writing short descriptive lists just using 3 main ideas. For instance, select the waves, the
spray and the sound:

The bearded waves curl over like an arch.
Snowy spray stains the aquamarine slopes.
The waves growl like watery tigers.

d. What can you see in the waves? Use a repeated phrase to list invented ideas, e.g.

n the Waves saw
A wildman's hair blowing in the breeze,
A white horse's ragged mane,
A tear on a cold cheek,
A bleak mountainside,
The curve of a cup's handle,
The letter C,
A thunder cloud gathering..

Pie Corbett/Nelson Thornes 2011