Day 25. Now we're 5/6 of the way through National Poetry Month. It's been a nice run, don't you think? I'm enjoying writing a poem a day, even though it's been tough going a couple-three times. Hang in there, everyone! "For today’s prompt, write a 'last straw' poem," Robert Lee Brewer suggests. "Everyone encounters situations in which they decide they’re not going to take it anymore Maureen Thorson begins today: "Anaphora is a literary term for the practice of repeating certain words or phrases at the beginning of multiple clauses or, in the case of a poem, multiple lines." You might recall that in his famous speech, Martin Luther King Jr. begins several sentences with "I have a dream" and also "Let freedom ring" — memorable and powerful. Anyway, Maureen continues, "I challenge you to write a poem that uses anaphora. Find a phrase, and stick with it — learn how far it can go" (NaPoWriMo). A wonderful recent example of anaphora is in my favorite song by The Police: "Every breath you take / Every move you make / Every bond you break / Every step you take / I'll be watching you." Love that because it's so cleverly creepy. And nicely apropos today because it also seems to be a "last straw" situation. Okay, here we go. Mashing up both prompts. Spring I love light verse — don't you? Here's an image of spring that Kathy found for me. To her this is extraordinarily beautiful. To me, well, I shudder. I like a flower as much as the next guy, but when they gang up like this, all I can think of is the allergic attack they bring on. I'd rather have the dentist drill. Shudder. Brrr. Sorry, Kathy. But thanks so much for finding such a perfect photo. Okay, on to Alan. Or, to my dear Holmes, as Dr. Watson used to say. ヅ I've wanted to make that joke all month! Dr. Holmes tells us, "I think that I have covered both the 'last straw' and the anaphora prompts. Given that it is April, some of my 'last straw' feelings have to do with students who have neglected themselves all semester and who, nonetheless, believe that somehow they can wrangle a satisfactory grade out of weeks of neglect. Perhaps one of the first requirements for passing an English class should be the ability to read and comprehend the course policy statement. Now, back to grading Exodus 20 Amen to that, Professor/Doctor Holmes. I think you should actually use this in your future syllabi. Just to make sure there are no misunderstandings, since it is, as the text says, "plain as day." This is light and heavy verse. Just the right light touch and heavy-handedness of tone.
I must confess that, as a student, I had bent and even broken some — perhaps more than some — of these commandments. But I have since seen the error of my ways, and as a professor/doctor myself only bend and break them when no witnesses are Won't you comment, please, friends? To make a comment, look for a blue link below that says Post a comment and click it once. If you don't see that, look in the red line that starts Posted by Vince, then find the word comments and click it once. Ingat, everyone. ヅ |
Posts
{Pin this to the tallest oak.}
7 hours ago
5 comments:
Hey, Vince! I guess you haven't had a chance to post for the 26th yet, but I just wanted to thank you for suggesting the curtal sonnet for NaPoWriMo today. I wrote my first one ever, and I think it came out half-decent. Visit my blog if you would like to read it.
P.S.: Liked your Day 25 poem - the anaphora works nicely here. An appropriate commentary on this season's "Aller-geddon" (yes, someone actually coined that one).
The tone on this poem has been of concern to me--I hoped for a balance, but I am, after all, appropriating a revered text. Part of my problem was deciding correlations between the sins and the types of errors that students would make. What, for example, is the writing student's equivalent of adultery? If someone were to line up the (Septuagint tradition) Ten Commandments with the items in my poem, he/she would see that I placed the gravest student wrongdoing, plagiarism, with the "shall not kill" commandment.
Bruce, thanks a lot. Aller-geddon. Ha ha ha. I'll come look at your curtal sonnet.
It had occurred to me while reading your poem that there might be such a correlation, but I didn't cross-reference. I'm glad you thought so much about it. Thanks.
Post a Comment