Maria—



Autobio Poem

This 11-lined poem will give you a chance to write about a person you know quite well: yourself! Do not aim at rhyme, but use lively, colorful and specific language. Although an autobio-poem is personal, it is not private. It is meant for others to read, so put your best effort into it!

When you finish your poem, use art supplies and decorate it!

Line 1. Your first name or nickname

2. Four traits or qualities that describe you (adjectives)

3. Brother/Sister of (their name)

4. Lover of…(three ideas, groups, people etc.)

5. Who feels….(three emotions)

6. Who needs….(three items)

7. Who fears…(three items)

8. Who gives…(three items)

9. Who would like to see…(three items)

10. Who lives…(describe briefly where)

11. Your last name only

Maria—

Interesting, imperfect, caring, and inquisitive

Older sister of Jeffrey Daniel,

Lover of freshly fallen snow, clear, star-speckled nights,

and the scent of fresh blooming flowers

Who feels undying love for my daughters, nervous on airplanes,

And perfect harmony in the woods,

Who needs family and friends, four distinct seasons,

and a good laugh now and again,

Who gives honest answers, encouragement, and support,

Who fears snakes, spiders and extra terrestrials,

Who would like to see less dependency on fossil fuels,

A blossoming love of writing from my students,

And the finish line of a full marathon,

Whose heart lives in a two room cabin on fifty acres,

Sturgeon

Bare Bones Poetry!

Write a poem or journal about anything you want to! Just let the words flow, similar to a stream of consciousness journal (aim for 10-15 lines). When you are finished, reread your poem/journal and highlight all of the key words and phrases. Use the highlighted words to create a new poem that is compact and has a strong meaning. If you need to add words for the fluency of your poem feel free! Look at the example below and happy writing.

Daybreak

The sun’s brilliant light assaults every surface of my face,

Bathing me in warmth.

A pry bar is the only tool capable of opening my

Tired lids

Basking

For the last precious seconds in a cornucopia

Of joy, energy eventually grows inside,

The snooze is howling

Until I am unable to hide from the waking world.

Bare Bones version:

Warmth and brilliant light

Assault

Tired lids

Basking in a cornucopia of joy.

Energy grows

Howling,

No way to hide

From daybreak

--M. Sturgeon

*If you would like to use a piece that you have written previously, feel free to do so. The goal here is to enhance the original meaning of your piece and pare it down to a more compact form. Consider using a previous journal entry or short story to make the assignment easier.

Dialogue Poem

Write your poem using two or more voices. This could be two voices within one person (different sides of the personality) or voices coming from completely different speakers. This poem will challenge you to create your poetry through the words of a character.

Fears and Phobias

One of the greatest aspects of poetry is that you, the poet, can use any significant life experience as fodder for your writing; no matter how traumatic your experience! Think about those fears lurking in the corner of you memory and try to lure them into your poetic form. Your memories, especially those which frightened you, can make marvelous poems.

Follow the steps below to come up with your own fear or phobia poem!

1. Brainstorm a list of your phobias and fears.

2. Create a cluster (spider) map listing all the details or examples of your fear/phobia.

3. Read the sample poem below.

4. Then, write your own fear/phobia poem. Make sure to give examples of the fear and how it made you feel. Create a visual picture for the reader using sensory details. Good Luck.

Water Landing

Gaining altitude, my knuckles turn white

Grasping the armrests flanking me for dear life.

I am supposedly safer here than in

My compact SUV. I don’t believe that for a second,

What if it is a water landing?

What if my light is snuffed because of an

Over worked crew?

I don’t have wings. I am defying the laws of nature,

Trying to do the unnatural, and temporarily succeeding.

Take off is the worst. The lightness of my body as

My heart drops to the pit of my stomach.

I am not the only one. I look around and see the other

White-knuckled passengers masking fear with the flu,

Or a cold. Maybe indigestion from meals on the go.

Skipping across the runway, my life plays before me.

Family memories, my regrets. All are here

Until I breathe the exhaust of awaiting cabs and

Set foot on the pavement outside of the airport.

Found Poem Assignment

Today you will create a poem using words and phrases from magazines and newspapers. This will be your introduction to poetic flow and form!

1. Brainstorm a list of ideas/things/issues/a person/activity/emotion about which you have strong feelings.

2. Cut out words and phrases from magazines that relate to and communicate something about your topic. (about 50 or so) If you need to add a couple of words, type them using a font that suggests your attitude or tone toward the subject.

3. On a piece of construction paper, organize the words into a poetic form (I don’t know how, but trust me this works!)

4. Glue the words into place and write your name and period on the back.

5. Make your decisions purposefully, and make sure to include a paragraph explaining the choices you made for conveying your thoughts and feelings about this subject for which you have strong emotions. (colors, importance of specific words, fonts etc).

6. Congratulations! You just completed your first poetry assignment(

Memory Poem/Childhood Memory

This assignment focuses on a past memory in your life. To help you remember some of the details of you experience, complete the steps below:

❖ Using paper and pencil, recreate the home that you lived in when you were a child. Draw your house looking down on it from the sky with no roof (bird’s eye view)

❖ After you have drawn your blueprint, label the rooms of your house (bedroom, kitchen, living room, garage etc.)

❖ Answer the following questions:

1. Where do you keep your books, games, and magazines?

2. What was your favorite book to read as a child?

3. Where is your favorite toy located in your house?

4. Which piece of furniture do you love or hate?

5. What one piece of clothing do you wear most?

6. Where is the scariest place in your house?

After you finish answering the questions, write a poem about your memories. Your memory poem can be happy, sad, emotional, even boring! It just has to be TRUE.

Object Poem

Choose an object that you find interesting or that has some kind of value to you. Study the object and all of its features. Use all of your senses to focus on the small details of the object from different perspectives and distances. Look at it at different times of the day and in different settings.

Now follow these directions to gather words that describe your object and create a poetic flow with them!

1. Where did your object come from? Describe the time and place that you found it?

2. Describe the object in great detail. What is its size, shape, color, weight, texture, odor, taste, sound, etc.

3. Change perspectives and describe the object further. Look at it from a distance, put on a blindfold and only use four senses, look at it upside down or inside out.

4. How are you similar to your object? Is it complex or simple? Think about personality traits, physical characteristics and experiences.

5. How is the object like a family member? (think about the info for #4)

6. What does the object mean to you? Does it symbolize or represent something? In other words, why did you choose this object?

7. For the last line of the poem, simply state what your object is.

Cross By Carlos Giron

Around my neck

Metal bonds—

A gift from my parents.

Glittering metal, tiny circles of gold.

Dangling dagger—

Lightweight but its ideas are as

Heavy as rocks.

A sign of purity and freedom,

A golden sword and chain.

Safe from the superficial evil

Of a fearful society.

We reflect meaning and hope.

Strong,

Often taken for granted.

Like my parents, symbol of love,

A treasure,

A gift to cherish.

Shiny disposition

Seems to shield out harm.

A golden cross and chain

Soul Poem

In order to write this poem, answer the following questions about yourself:

What is in your soul?

What motivates your actions?

What are your own secret ideas about yourself?

What makes you unique and mysterious?

Now, use your answers to the questions and create a poetic form, you may need to add extra words or completely different words to attain poetic flow. Here are a couple of examples.

My soul is a hollow –boned winged creature

With feathers soaring through the blue skies

Sometimes losing a beautiful colored feather

--Crissy Adams

My soul is a derailed train car

Speeding out of control

Some days.

Some days,

My soul is lightly scented jasmine barely noticeable

Among the more fragranced flowers in the garden.

My soul dreams of floating carelessly about

Taking in all of its surroundings,

Dreams about inspiring and being inspired.

My soul has been know to care for others, it

Feels like safe harbor.

My soul is sensitive and compassionate,

Filled with unanswerable questions,

Waiting for a new experience.

--Maria Sturgeon

Or use this to start:

My soul moves like_______________________________

Dreams about______________________________

Feels like/smells like________________________

Has been seen_____________________________

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