Copy Change – Poetry, Two Examples



Copy Change – Poetry Activity

Typed Copy Change Poem DUE 11/28

Copy Change is a way to use the structure of other poets who have written before us to create new meaning, new poems for ourselves. The way copy change works is that you use the structure of a previous poem to compose your own poem.

You will use Quincy Jones’ poem to compose your own poem about how your identity is a reflection of where you live. First look at my attempt to write a Copy Change poem about the places where I’ve lived.

From “Back on the Block” “Teaching the World”

By Qunicy Jones by Nancy Kaplan

An everlasting omnipresence A changing cornucopia

is my present is my utopia

state of being different places

seeing traces

the unpleasant of lives

sight of righteous souls circling the globe twice

the mind stunts growth of adolescents new places extended transcendence

live like peasants life a resistance

My insight enables me to enlight My experience allows me to impart

the weakest of minds as I put 'em in flight knowledge of places I have been

as I transcend as a teacher

and ascend and rescind and mother and wife

recreate, reincarnated and resend the lessons of the world

because Man messed up because the world’s new

the media dressed up the places old

lies perpetrated as truth and it left us knowledge is essential and it is

confused told

but I've seen it all before but I see some turn away

from Babylon to the Third World War From the right to learn, effort, rigor

I'm more than I man I’m more than a teacher

I'm more like an entity I’m more like a map

I'm back on the block I’ve got your back

and this time my identity is you and today begins your utopia.

As you can see, just because the structure and the "feel" of the poem are the same, the subject matter can be totally different.

Now, use the following break down of “Back on the Block” to draft your own Copy Change. What you want to do is copy the syllabic structure and words per line of the original poem, substituting words of your own for the poet's words. The poem you are writing is about you, your life, your world, the impact you wish to make on others.

An everlasting omnipresence

is my present

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

state of being

seeing

the unpleasant

sight of righteous souls

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

the mind stunts growth of adolescents

live like peasants

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

My insight enables me to enlight

the weakest of minds as I put 'em in flight

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

as I transcend

and ascend and rescind

recreate, reincarnated and resend

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

because Man messed up

the media dressed up

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

lies perpetrated as truth and it left us

confused

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

but I've seen it all before

from Babylon to the Third World War

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

I'm more than a man

I'm more like an entity

I'm back on the block

and this time my identity is you.

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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