Poem 3
Instructions:
In Kim Addonizio’s “My Heart,” she makes 11 metaphors for her heart in 17 lines. After re-reading her poem write a poem in which you compare a part of your body or a personal possession to a series of metaphors. Keep each metaphor to one or two lines, with the exception of the final one, which should be extended to at least 4 lines. Please write about something a 23 year old male would have.
Feedback to correct:
Look for ways to make your images your specific, reduce your reliance on modifiers, and avoid cliches when they crop up.
My Car
That fountain of delight,
With storm-like visibility drawing from horizon to horizon.
That potter's wheel that shapes experiences around the globe,
The only petals of flower among kaleidoscopes,
That overbearing and condescending ray of a young sun during summer storms,
You want it, yet it is too rare,
That circus of pleasantries and entertainment,
That star you cannot fathom in a constellation, yet it stands out,
The unforgettable bullet memory that whizzes by and spokes,
The pieces of thorns to those around, does no good but stick under skins and hurt their wishful thinking,
That public performance of violin,
That favorite place in Edinburgh,
That city that the ocean wants, despite distinct shore barriers,
That music to the ears on bad days,
That beast that feeds on attention,
That drawing in the sand, is purposeful and beautiful,
The intentional lines,
The artistic and charismatic images,
That fades by the wind.
Poem 4
Instructions:
Your task is to identify all of the abstractions in your poem and replace them with something concrete. You are allowed one abstraction per 12 lines of your poem. Go ahead and revise other aspects of your piece, too
Curiosity - Revised
I read books quickly, like a person possessed,
the presence of paper containing bold and colored ink,
from the reading published,
pictured and literary materials and illustrations,
demonstrating a past events vividly,
changing the behavior of the audience,
fascinating the literary expert,
triggering curiosity and opening a world of new objects,
very full with knowledgeable facts,
the author,
a play containing interesting narrative,
crafted to delight the curious person,
and speaks verbally to pass information,
as he reaches the end,
Curiosity has no ending.
(After Maxine Kumin)
Poem 5
Instructions:
Like all Shakesperian sonnets, yours should be
• written in iambic pentameter
• composed of 14 lines (3 quatrains and a couplet)
• use a Shakespearian rhyme scheme (abab, cdcd, efef, gg)
• have a turn that occurs in line 9 (again, if you don't know what "the turn" means, refer to the reading in PC)
• have a final couplet that takes "the form of a conclusion, amplification, or even refutation of the previous three stanzas"
Unlike traditional Shakespearian sonnets, however, yours has a constraint: only a maximum of one line pair can use traditional rhyme. The rest should be half rhymes, slant rhymes, or sight rhymes. (If you're not familiar with those terms, look them up.)
COVID SONNET
It is the time to make ourselves all right
The CDC tries hard to make us safe
So COVID won’t keep us awake at night
Though citizens to fuss and cause much strife.
The vaccine comes in oh so many forms:
The public suffer from anxiety and fear
But some seem to enjoy swallowing worms!
A nurse came to my house the other day
She came to check my symptoms and health
And yelled at me so hard I thought I’d cry.
She said, if I don’t vaccinate myself,
My boldest future plans would fall and die
Infection rates continue so to fall,
It seems our nation’s health will soon be whole.
Poem 6
Instructions:
In this exercise, you will write a poem about a “low” subject—something low-class, cheap, ugly, common, maybe even vulgar, if that’s your thing. Think Spam vs. filet mignon, Budweiser vs. champagne, Family Guy vs. the year’s best foreign film. Cheese puffs vs. camembert, or an El Camino vs. a Ferrari. In your poem, make a conscious effort to blend both high and low diction. In fact, lean most heavily on high diction (elevated word choice), and sprinkle in the “low-class” words and objects more sparingly. You might write an “Ode to my Handkerchief,” for example, or “Ode to Beef Jerky.” (Note: You don't have to write an ode, necessarily -- that's just one example of a poem that traditionally used elevated diction.) “Lively in the Twighlight of Abandoning Fleas” is one example of such a poem. Here’s another, by Barbara Hamby:
Nectar of the Gods
The sweetest day I ever tasted
consumed in immature bliss
came and went
with the color of the falling sun
glistening from the white Styrofoam cup
ice softly jingling
church bells declaring a time of worship
as a giggling girl’s voice pleaded you
for just a sip
of your orange Fanta
extra sugar
Memories of kids all over
the cracked concrete neighborhoods
that forever remind you
of a lost home
so divin4
Poem 7
Instructions:
For this exercise, first make a list of big assertions that are bold, somewhat creative, possibly unsubstantiated, but delivered with confidence. These assertions might feel wise or reckless to you, but regardless they should be memorable (and fairly compact).
Then, write a poem (approx. 12 lines) that includes one of these assertions at its beginning, middle, or end. This should poem should be narrative (tell a story).
The End of the Family
Humanity as a whole is on the decline
What with the death of family!
Principle and households will end in our time
Both are being butchered happily!
Mothers nurtured and dads would teach
And children stood rooted and bloomed
But what’s a Dad now, what’s a Mum?
We barely know, and thus we’re doomed
It’s the beginning of the end
Or maybe there’s still hope to find
I don’t know, nor do I pretend
That I have answers in my mind
But hey, I’m as human as you
And that means I am clueless too!