One of my favorite activities to do is to find a poem with a rhythm I like and simply match it with a poem of my own. The key is to write from your own experience, using your own vocabulary, so you can end up with a completely different poem, with something that is genuinely YOU.
It’s a great way to break out of a slump, consider it a push start. It’s also a great way to experiment with a different voice. Consider it remixing the poem. Are you game?
Write On!!!
Poet Enzo Surin on May 8th 2011 in Basic Descriptive Assignment
Today’s assignment signifies the end of our National Poetry Month One Poem a Day Challenge. We have been writing, presumably the entire month of April and have written at least one new poem for each day of the month. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have and look forward to continually support you and your writing in whatever way I can. Now on to the business at hand.
Today’s assignment is to write a poem about whatever you want. That’s right, you are on your own; today, let the world be your prompt. Though this is the last assignment of the challenge, it does not mean that this is the last time you will ever write a poem. At least I hope not. The point of the challenge was to spark your writing and get you going again. So today the training wheels are off and it’s time for you to push forward with your writing.
The following poem is an excerpt from the poem, We Never Know How High We Are, by one of my favorite poets of all time, Emily Dickinson. I hope it encourages you to keep writing, like your life depends on it.
“We never know how high we are
Till we are called to rise…”
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Happy Writing!
-Enzo (INKpals)
Poet Enzo Surin on April 30th 2011 in National Poetry Month
Today’s assignment is to write a poem about an everyday chore like cleaning, doing laundry, mowing the lawn and so on. I was doing laundry the other day and you wouldn’t believe the type of poem that came out of just sitting there waiting for the wash cycle to complete. It ended up being 2 pages. I hope you find the same grade of inspiration while you complete today’s assignment.
The following sample is from the poem Dusting by one of my favorite poets: Marilyn Nelson.
My hand, my arm,
make sweeping circles.
Dust climbs the ladder…
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Happy Writing!
-Enzo (INKpals)
Poet Enzo Surin on April 29th 2011 in National Poetry Month