The afternoon of my day with Rose Cappelli and Lynne Dorfman was devoted to poetry. They highlighted three types of poems:
- Walk around in the author’s syntax. Here you are immersed in the writer’s world. Here is an example they shared.
February by Charlotte Otten
February turns everything to gray:
gray lakes, gray fog, gray sun.
Gray squirrels lose their bearings
hunting for acorns buried
beneath thick gray snow.
- List poems, these are so fun to create. Think of a topic and create a list. One of my favorites is below.
Bad Beds by Doug Florian
Bench in a park
Mouth of a shark
Garbage pails
Bed of nails
Elephant’s trunk
In range of a skunk
Underneath birds
Near stampeding herds
Of course there is a poem called Good Beds too, but I will let you discover that one.
- Narrative poem was the third type Rose and Lynne presented. These poems tell a story. Usually they are a slice of life caught in the poetic web.
The challenge was to create a poem that fits one of the types we’d been studying.
I’ve had a story rolling around in my head for several years, just waiting for the right format to tell it. I found it with the narrative poem.
Loud and Clear
“The only place
to stop
is McDonald’s,”
my husband announced.
With a I’d-rather-eat-nothing attitude
I stroll into
the crowded eatery.
Joining an endless line
we snaked our way
to the register.
Glancing around reveals
a boisterous bunch in a booth.
Kids shove, smack, shout.
Dad’s last nerve frazzled,
he lashes out,
“Sit down!
Behave!
We are in a restaurant
for goodness sake!”
Bodies stilled,
startled eyes with
what-are-you-talking-about looks
turn to dad.
A hush falls over the dining room,
a small voice pipes up,
loud and clear,
“No we’re not,
we are at McDonald’s”
