Overview

As I have written before, perhaps the best way to really learn how poetry works and to learn how to appreciate it is to go ahead and write one yourself. So in order to learn about the elements of poetry, we are going to be writing our own poem over the next few weeks, beginning with this first exercise.

Directions

So for this hands-on exercise, and to start writing your original poem, please do the following: 

1. Your theme / Topic, which should run at least 20 words: First, choose something that you want your poem to be abouta theme. Think back to our lecture on the ‘purposes’ of literature. Literature helps bring us together. It helps us celebrate and remember people, places, and things. It helps us call attention to important political issues. And, most importantly, it affects us psychologically by relieving our stress, making us feel less alone. And it makes us think. Also, remember that poems, like stories, are a way to create an experience for your reader. So what kind of an experience do you want to give your reader? One choice is to base your experience on something personal, something that happened to you, and that has stuck in your head for some reason. Any reason. For instance, maybe you went to the DMV recently, and you witnessed someone yelling at a clerk there. Maybe you thought that yelling was unfair. Or maybe you just saw the clerk role her eyes, and you thought that was funny. That’s good enough for a poem. Or maybe you want to base your choice on something that is happening in the newssomething serious. Perhaps you read recently about some people getting the vaccines by cheating, and you want to write about that. The possibilities are endless. Your job, once you have chosen a theme or topic for your poem, is simply to write down what it is in a few clear sentences and explain what you hope the reader will get out of the poem. You don’t need a lot of detail at this stage. So the model below if you’re unsure of what I want. 
2. A First Draft or “Walk Through”, which should run at least 50 words: Next, I want you to write out a kind of “first draft” of your poem as if you were writing a little story. I don’t want any poetry at this stage. Instead, just kind of “walk us through” how the poem might begin, how it would continue, and how you think it should end. You don’t even need to explain your choices and the draft doesn’t need to look like a poem at all. But, if you want, you can discuss some of the choices you might make here, such as the kind of speaker you want and the tone you want to establish. Again, see the model below if you’re unsure of what I want here. 
3. Sound Pattern Brainstorming, which should run at least 50 words: Next, I want you to begin brainstorming some “sound patterns” that you think might work well in a poem with the theme and content that you are contemplating. For instance, if the poem is about a romantic break-up, you might want to try cacophonous sounds and really short and clipped sentences. If you want to write about two people falling in love, you might try longer lines and a lot of “flowery” and musical alliteration. The important thing is to try out at least THREE sound patterns for this week’s lecture. This might include alliteration, anaphora, epistrophe, climax, ellipsis, and so on. I don’t expect you to memorize and know all of these just from reading about them! Instead, just find three that you find interesting and try them out by coming up with one example of each that you think might work nicely in your poem. Again, see the model below for an example of what I’m looking for if you’re unclear. 

That’s it for now. But make sure to make a note of your choices here, as we will be coming back to this story NEXT week and adding onto it!

A Model Response

If you aren’t sure about what to do even after you have read my directions, please look at the model below for an example. And, as usual, if you still don’t understand after reading these instructions, feel free to contact me via the Canvas inbox or by texting me at 707-980-2861. 🙂 

1. My Theme/Topic: I think I want to write a poem celebrating Mcdonald’s. I know we’re not supposed to like McDonald’s because the food is often salty and fatty. And I know that many people think that fast-food restaurants are responsible for many “mom and pop” businesses closing down. And I get that point of view. But I love McDonald’s anyway: the color of the furniture, the fun play-place slides, and, above everything, the interesting conversation you can overhear between people eating their food. I want to celebrate that. 
2. A First Draft or Walk-through:  The poem is going to begin late at night, just outside a McDonald’s restaurant. I want there to be a clear contrast between the darkness outside the restaurant, how cold it is outside, and the light and warmth inside. I will spend a few lines in which the speaker just takes in the scene and adjusts to the light. I’ll talk about the bright colors of the furniture, the neat sounds coming from the soda dispenser, and the patter of the employees saying “may I take your order?” Again, I’ll give this all a “light and fun” tone, indicating that I like it. In the next few lines, I’ll come up and give my order and maybe point out something about the employee I’m talking to. Something that makes me think they are really interesting. An earring, perhaps? Or maybe their hairstyle. Something. Finally, I’ll talk about sitting down and waiting for my order and overhearing a conversation that is really surprising happening in the booth next to mine. The poem will end when my food arrives and it looks perfect. That’s a good ending. 
3. Three Sound Patterns I Might Use in My Poem: One of the patterns I definitely want to use is alliteration.  There is a lot of plastic at McDonald’s, so I might want to alliterate the “P” sound. What are good “P” words?  Peaceful, playful, passionate, petite. I will try to work some of these and more into my poem. I also want to use anaphora. I could just go back and use the word plastic again for this sound pattern. I could write a list of the different plastic things in McDonald’s: plastic chairs, plastic straws, plastic tables, plastic flowers, plastic knives. But I want the poem to be happy and positive, so I might finally use antithesis to point out that “but the people aren’t plastic … they’re 100% real.” Or something like that.