Posts Tagged poetry

One of my own poems

May 5, 2009 at 3:58 am · Filed under Personal Work ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello everyone, since this is a creative writing blog I figured I was obligated to share at least one of my own pieces. The following is a poem I wrote for my creative writing class last year in response to the prompt, “Write a poem charactarizing a human as an animal.” I would love for you to read it and let me know what you think!

Venom  






Your slim curvaceous body
is sheathed in stunning skin.
With captivating eyes, you lure your prey.
But inside of you, your blood
runs icy through your veins
And when you shed your outer shell,
I see it’s one big flake.
 
You speak with a forked tongue,
but your velvet, coaxing hiss
Entices us to listen to your lies.
Your rumors; your venom,
you see the pain you cause
It appears to fuel your power—
I see that as a guise.
 
You bite the hand that feeds you;
attack even those who follow you
Feed on weaker targets, who won’t put up a fight.
But deep within your heart,
you know you’re not the strongest
You are a mere con artist
with a paralyzing bite.
 
Once I watched your eyes
as you slithered through a field
They locked in upon a harmless, tiny mole.
Your next victim grew larger
in those black, reflective slits
And before she even noticed you,
you swallowed her up whole.
 
Insidious creature, vain and proud,
you claim to have it all,
Yet few others yearn to seize your throne,
For while you slither on the ground
you will never stand tall.
Aside from fleeting followers
you will always hunt alone.
 

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Writing a Villanelle

May 2, 2009 at 9:19 pm · Filed under Writing Tips ·Tagged , , , ,

Last semester in my creative writing class I learned how to write a lot of different types of poems. One of my favorite forms was the villanelle which incorporates rhyme and repetition to create an entrancing, rhythmic sound.

Here is the official villanelle form:

   A1 b  A2          – Lines in first tercet.   a  b  A1          – Lines in second tercet.

  a  b  A2          – Lines in third tercet.

  a  b  A1          – Lines in fourth tercet.

  a  b  A2          – Lines in fifth tercet.

  a  b  A1 A2       – Lines in final quatrain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘A1’ and ‘A2’ rhyme, and these lines are repeated throughout the entire program.

‘a’ lines are different each time they occur in the poem, but they must rhyme with ‘A1’ and ‘A2’

‘b’ lines are also different each time they occur in the poem. They do not rhyme with the rest of the lines, but must rhyme with the other ‘b’ lines.

To find out more in-depth information about the villanelle, visit the Poetry Form website.

Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”  is an example of a famous villanelle:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

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