It’s hard to believe that National
Poetry Month (and all of April) will have come and gone as of Monday. The Music In It received several
thousand hits during the month, and I’m grateful to all who visited and posted
comments and poems. My special thanks go to Basil Rouskas of California for
posting an amazing poem every single day!
There are still today and tomorrow left for National Poetry Month, but I thought I'd post for the rest of next week a couple of days early to stay in sync with posting on Saturday mornings. For our return to regular
prompts, let's ease back with something that’s uncomplicated
and enjoyable.
Guidelines:
1. Pick a poem you really like.
Read the poem twice, once silently, once aloud.
2. Jot down five words or phrases
from the poem that “speak” to you in some way (touch you emotionally or capture your attention or
imagination).
3. Reflect for a while on the
words and phrases that you selected.
4. Write down any thoughts or
images that the words or phrases you chose inspire.
5. Write a poem using one or more
of the words or phrases and also include some of the thoughts and images
they inspired.
Tips:
Make sure the words and phrases
you choose are compatible in terms of the content you develop.
Include only those selections
that are absolutely pertinent, and use your own creativity to alter them.
Don’t try to
imitate the poem you used as your inspiration. Make the poem uniquely your own.
There
should be nothing superfluous in your poem: no extra words, no extra syllables.
Avoid explanations of what you’ve written in your poem: trust your images.
Avoid explanations of what you’ve written in your poem: trust your images.
Don’t undercut your poem’s
“authority” by ending with trivia or a “so what” line that doesn’t make your
readers gasp.
Don’t conclude with a sentimental
or emotional statement (both sentiment and emotion may be heartfelt but, when
they’re blatantly stated, they can detract from the power of your poem).
Don’t close the door on your
poem; leave it slightly ajar.
Link the end of the poem to the
beginning but not overtly—and don’t over-write.
