Shopping List Poem

You can use the most unlikely material for a fun poem. In my writing notebook is a shopping list from many years ago. The way it was set out led to this poem (I’ve exaggerated the gaps between words to highlight the different items on the list):

Custard   squash
Maple syrup  shaving foam
Chocolate biscuit   salad
Ginger   bananas
Demerara sugar   satsumas
Mixed herb    parmesan
Parsnip   milk
Red pepper   cake
Mixed spice    dried fruit
Chicken   soap
Tomato   teabags
Garlic   beans
Minced beef   breadsticks

That’s 12 items that I might find hard to buy in my local supermarket!

Try This

There are several ways to do this:

1. Keep your latest shopping list. Combine every two items to make a new one on one line
   e.g. custard and squash
2. Keep two shopping lists – one for food perhaps and the other for the chemist shop. Combine one item from each list in turn.
   e.g. maple syrup and shaving foam
3. Look at the ingredients listed in a recipe. Combine these in a similar fashion.
   e.g. mixed spice and dried fruit (which usually go together so look for more alarming combinations)

Have fun making up your own list poetry. You might even like to illustrate the new items!