Monday, August 25, 2008

Poem of Instruction

Write a poem which satisfies all of the following criteria:

1. The poem reads like a set of instructions
2. The poem describes an activity which you know well, something more people are familiar with, but:
3. Instead of giving the reader literal instructions, you are trying to capture in words the feel of the activity by:
3a. hitting the reader with surprising metaphors and similes
3b. selecting a few details which comprise the essence of the hidden lore of the
activity (For example, if you were writing about how to get through a boring
class you might recall things like deliberately making one leg go to sleep or
crossing your eyes; if you were describing a snowball fight you might talk about
the moment when a harmless snowball begins to become an "iceball.").
4. The poem must not be end-rhymed.
5. The poem must be titled.