And then she tried a poem
So another one of the assignments for this #braveblogging course was to write a poem.
I balked at first.
I am not a poet, I have never studied poetry, wouldn't really know the first thing about writing a poem. But in the spirit of bravery, I thought I'd try. And it was a bust. Forced, trite, silly. So I trashed it. Still, I was determined to write a poem. Suddenly it felt like a double dog dare I had to take.
I tried again the next day and decided to write a poem about how to write a poem. I still have no idea whether it's a poem, but I had fun with this one, so I kept it.
how to write a poem
start with lowercase letters
add a few
line
breaks
insert something poetic in the beginning,
and shift the text to the right,
when describing something you must look closely to see.
like dust motes, or morning dew drops, or a cracked vase.
bring in some tension, if you like.
call it heartache.
maybe it was your favorite vase
the one your grandmother left you
and now it’s gone
smashed
but now you have room for something joyful.
Like the memory
of sugar-filled summers and dancing on the hot blacktop driveways
of the midwest
that burned your feet while
she taught you to polka
with her giorgio-scented bosom
she was only four-eleven.
now you can teach your sons
who will grow at least a foot higher.
perhaps you mention the vase again here
it is your poem, after all.