Poetry Assignment – Shaw/Starr – English 12A
Not Just Another Poem
Assignment
Write a poem that is free-verse and image-driven (not a narrative poem*) about
anything you like, so long as it has a complex topic and premise. A few criteria,
however, must be honored:
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free verse = vers libre (formal and rhyming poetry, and song lyrics, are
forbidden)
poem = not "prosey" in form
non-narrative = observational, experiential, intellectual, or any combination
of these; *absolutely no ballads
complex = topic has an element tension; the speaker's own conflict
As you can see, the topic is virtually unlimited, since everything we do as human
beings has the potential to evoke a complex argument or impression. Let your poem
uncover that impression by using a series of images that effectively capture it
without need you to explain it. The success of your poem will be based on how
authentically and how imagistically it transports a reader to your subject matter.
You are not compelled to write this poem about yourself. However, if you do, you
may use the pronoun "I" so long as you do not describe yourself observing or
experiencing.
 BAD examples: "I watch her as she turned in her sleep . . . "
"I feel a cold wind on my arm . . ."
Use active verbs and dynamic descriptive language and place focus on the process,
itself:
 GOOD examples: "She turned in her sleep . . ."
"a cold wind stiffens the hairs on my arm."
Use concrete, sensory, and descriptive detail as much as possible. Although the
poem may invoke abstract ideas, and occasionally an abstract image may aid you in
a poignant detail or a metaphor, the poem should not be written in abstractions and
generalities. There must be a core of images about real things: people, places,
objects, events, etc. It must contain feelings and ideas, but it must use other images
to imply those feelings and ideas--some of which will take the form of similes and
metaphors.
Pitfalls
With an almost "anything goes" approach to this assignment, it's easy to be tricked
into thinking you can dredge up your old attitudes writing poems and rehash your
adolescent love poems. Be warned: if your work ignores my attempts to broaden
your understanding of poetry writing, or if you try to be "clever" in your poem
instead of sincere, I'll simply return it to you and ask for two more that "get it right."
Here are some of the major pitfalls to avoid in this assignment.
Clichés!
The challenge of any creative writing is to take readers out of their comfort zone and
to surprise them, not only with your subject matter, but with your choice of
language and imagery. Perhaps nowhere is this more important than in a poem,
where language is under the reader's microscope. Because of the focused nature of a
poem, a cliché is hard to hide. Clichés in a poem stand out because of the way the
line, itself, spotlights details and images, whereas a single cliché buried inside a
paragraph in a work of prose is more easily forgiven. In this assignment, you are
asked to use figurative language in similes and metaphors, but that doesn't give
you permission to grab a handful of familiar figures of speech. Be ruthless on
yourself in your use of language: demand of yourself that you reject all clichés--all
easy turns of phrases and familiar expressions; all uses of the word "heart" or
"soul"; etc.
(If I find the verb "cherish" in any of your poems, I'll "literally" puke.)
Triteness
For many first-timers asked to write this kind of poem, the real cliché that derails
their efforts is not a matter of language or subject matter. It's in their attitude about
what a poem is "supposed" to be: a rhyming, ostensibly "feminine" expression of
one's feelings, like a bad sonnet, that uses hyperbolic imagery ("your sharp words
are daggers that stab at my heart") and vague, airy-fairy language ("an array of
colors swelling with intensifying emotions"). Most of us have grown up with the idea
of a poem being all about "an expression of your feelings," but this idea stems from
the assumption that poetry is trite from the get-go: written as an adolescent
catharsis for unrequited crushes and blue Mondays. Readers don't care about that
expression; they care about what they can relate to in the impression. Impressions
come from the evocative use of concrete detail and subtle comparisons through
metaphor and simile. Subject matter can be disappointingly clichéd, too. If you
sentimentalize your subject matter--imagine it as precious and pretty--you've
already succumbed to a cliché (for instance, writing a poem about the cuteness of a
baby's burp.) If this poem is easy for you to write, then you're probably either
sentimentalizing or there's nothing about the topic that holds any surprise for you.
In short, surprise yourself in your choice of topic and in your use of language; go
beyond your own comfort levels. This will translate into a more enjoyably creative
and interesting poem for your readers.
Puerile Audacity
Although it's not exclusive to the male gender, oftentimes young men and boys are
conditioned to think that writing poetry is strictly a feminine practice. Caught in the
obligation to write a poem, they will choose not to express anything sensitive in
their work, preferring instead to shock readers with their audacity, or write strictly
about how their girlfriends turn them on sexually. Suffice it to say, I don’t have
enough eye-rolls for this sort of nonsense. Not wanting to appear "girly" is perhaps
one of the most pathetic excuses ever to write bad poetry; it's simply unworthy of
your writing gifts and as trite an approach as sentimentality. Either try to surprise
the reader with unexpected choice of details, or try to surprise the reader with an
unexpected impression about ordinary details; however, don't try to shock the
reader for the sake of testing them. And, above all, don't let your fragile,
emasculated ego determine what you can and can't write about with sensitivity and
authenticity.
Hold the Line
Probably the most difficult habit for poetry writers to "break" involves the line: they
routinely dedicate one sentence or phrase per line, ending with a comma or period.
The poem in this way becomes a list of clauses or phrases; this is just as predictable
as the use of rhyme because the writer's intention is to make the last word in the
line be the most important. Contemporary poetry prefers more enjambment (even
in rhymed poetry) to shift the reader's focus onto the content of the line and draw
her through the poem fluidly, calling attention to the poem's internal rhythms,
images and sounds. When this course is over, you may evolve in your writing to
prefer formal poetry (poetry written in forms that use meter, rhyme and stanzas),
but for now you should force yourself to use enjambment as a way to broaden your
poetry horizons for this assignment.
Endings
Often, ending a poem on just the right image or word is far trickier than ending
prose works. Unskilled poets will conclude their poem on a predictable or repetitive
note: a throwaway image; a refrain; a "nowadays" scenario. It's difficult to know
when an ending is "true" for the poem; it's even harder to predict how the reader
will experience the last line. A poem's ending is the summation of its emotional and
psychological content. If it doesn't engage the reader as to the truth of the poem, it
won't inspire the reader to reread the poem. Keep in mind, though, that a last line
doesn't have to be grand or abstract to achieve this. In fact, the right choice of a
quiet, unassuming image at the very end can often have a great deal more impact.
Don't be satisfied with your early drafts. Test different endings, and try different end
points in the poem to see what leaves the most resonant impression.
An Overview of Dos and Don'ts
 Do not write a formal version of a poem (that is, no sonnets or villanelles or
other form).
 Make sure the poem has a point of view and a voice, and is not just a literal
catalog of images.
 Work toward a conclusion that has some irony about it: end with a strongly
evocative, resonant image, one that lasts for the reader.
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Avoid letting the poem become about you writing a poem, or about you
observing something important. In fact, try to keep references to yourself at a
minimum so that when you do use them, the reader will take them more
seriously. The reader accepts already that the point of view in the poem is
your own. You should let that point of view express itself and evoke a
response from the reader, but you should not find your own act of looking at
something or writing about something to be that important or precious.
Ruthlessly weed out any usage that is clichéd. If you aren't ruthless with
yourself, ask for help.
Avoid a throwaway title--e.g., don't name your poem "Poem"; "One From the
Heart" or "My Big Toe" or some other obvious and trite title. Your title should
be as evocative as any one of the images in your poem.
Do not interpret the meaning of your poem; trust the reader to "read
between the lines" and internalize its meaning. However, use imagery that
effectively allows this to happen.
Rules:
o minimum 10 lines
o free verse only
o active verbs only (not have, is, seem, feel; think; dream; imagine;
sense; wonder; and, please!, not get!)
o sensory detail (varied appeal to the 5 senses, not just to sight), and
figurative language (metaphor, etc.)
o enjambment and attention to line breaks
o absolute authenticity in your voice as a writer;
o your poem should have a point of view.