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Poetry Journals

+Journal #1: Deserted Island

You have just been stranded on a deserted island. Something happened to your ipod and you are left with only 5 songs. Which five songs would you choose? Explain why for each one – do not simply say, “Because I like it.” Think about mood, rhythm, connotations, etc.

+Journal #2: I am poem (example): I AM

I am the wine and the futureI wonder how many ripples I will have to swimI hear the trickle of time in a bitter bottleI see the translucent red drain from the wineI want the sweet satin liquid to stain my tongueI am the wine and the future.

I pretend to entertain the glowing embersI feel the dew that sours the grapesI touch the vine that grows new lifeI worry the drunkard may speak the truthI cry the dewdrop tears on the winery wallsI am the wine and the future.

I understand the dust on the bottleI say it only makes it sweeter with timeI dream the sponge cork may never be replaced by lipsI try to glimmer the crack in my glass containerI hope the sun-faded label never creases for lost identityI am the wine and the future.

--Katie Reilly (Grade 10)

+Template, Journal 2 (Write a minimum of 1 stanza) “I Am” Poems 

1st Stanza

I am (two special characteristics you have)I wonder (something you are actually curious about)I hear (an imaginary sound)I see (an imaginary sight)I want (an actual desire)I am (the first line of the poem is repeated)

Stanza 2

I pretend (something you really pretend to do)I feel (a feeling about something imaginary)I touch (something you imagine you touch)I worry (a worry that is real to you)I cry (something that makes you very sad)I am (the first line of the poem is repeated)

Stanza 3

I understand (something you know is true)I say (something you believe in)I dream (a dream you actually have)I try (something you make an effort to do)I hope (something you really hope for)I am (the first line of the poem is repeated)

+Journal 3: Concrete PoetryShape is one of the main things that separate prose and poetry. Poetry can take on many formats, but one of the most inventive forms is for the poem to take on the shape of its subject.

Therefore,if the subject of your poem were of a flower, then the poem would be shaped like a flower. If it were of a fish, then the poem would take on the shape of a fish. ><<<*> .

+ Shape and Concrete Poetry go hand-in-hand; however, Concrete or Visual Poetry don’t have to take on the particular shape of the poem’s subject, but rather the wording in the poem can enhance the effect of the words such as in this line:

 an angel tumbling

d

o

w

n

to earth . . .

 

+

Designing your own shape poem can be simple and fun, but try not to pick anything that would be too difficult. You can map out or draw your shape first, and then import the text of your poem into your shape

+Example #1:“Birth of a Triangle”

 mama and papa and baby make three,

reaching sides of a three-sided tree.

oedipal winds rustle from leaves;

triangular shapes converting

dissimilarity into peeves.

straight lines connect

the corners turned;

mirrored sight

un-burned;

buried

am

i

 Copyright © 2001 Alex Goldenberg

+Journal 4: List Poems Freewrite a list…a list about anything: things you need to do today, goals for this week, what you need for the first day of college, etc.

+Example: List poem

THINGS KIDS SAY WHEN THEY WANT TO GET OUT TO PLAY

--I did all my homework.--I picked up my toys.--I emptied the trash.--My bed is made.  No, there are no lumps.--I ate all my vegetables.--But everyone else is.--Bobby's mom doesn't make him.--But, Mom.--No, my dirty clothes aren't under the bed.--Yes, Mom, I'm sure.--Yeah, I'll be careful..  No, I won't poke an eye out.--Oh, please!---Steve Schlatter (Grade 10)

+Example, list poemCAN YOU IMAGINE...

A city without violenceThis classroom in silence

Basketball without a ballReno without a mall

Ducks wearing lipstickNo barbecue at a picnic

Sky without starsJail with no bars

Thursdays without New York UndercoverBeing born without having a mother

The Lakers after ShaqHarlem without crack

Pepsi without caffeineEvery night having the same dream?---Tierra Jones (Grade 10)

+Journal 4: Now make revisions: add words, delete words, add a title. You have a list poem!

+Journal 5: Read the following poem (“The Summer I was Sixteen”) and write a personal reflection to it. Ask yourself, “How can I connect to this poem?”

+ The Summer I Was Sixteen

Geraldine Connolly

The turquoise pool rose up to meet us,its slide a silver afterthought down whichwe plunged, screaming, into a mirage of bubbles.We did not exist beyond the gaze of a boy.

Shaking water off our limbs, we liftedup from ladder rungs across the fern-coollip of rim. Afternoon. Oiled and sated,we sunbathed, rose and paraded the concrete,

Continued on next page

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danced to the low beat of "Duke of Earl".Past cherry colas, hot-dogs, Dreamsicles,we came to the counter where bees staggeredinto root beer cups and drowned. We gobbled

cotton candy torches, sweet as furtive kisses,shared on benches beneath summer shadows.Cherry. Elm. Sycamore. We spread our chenilleblankets across grass, pressed radios to our ears,

mouthing the old words, then loosenedthin bikini straps and rubbed baby oil with iodineacross sunburned shoulders, tossing a glancethrough the chain link at an improbable world.

+Journal 6: Epigrams

Epigrams are short satirical poems ending with either a humorous retort or a stinging punch line.

expressions of social criticism or political satire.

most commonly written as a couplet (pair of rhymed lines in the same meter)

+Examples of Epigrams: A. Laws are made for protection, to be enforced

Illegal immigrants can't be questioned, of course.

B. Such volunteers are said to advocate but to the law, they instead frustrate

C. Sir, I admit your general rule, That every poet is a fool, But you yourself may serve to show it, That every fool is not a poet

D. Here lies my wife: here let her lie!

Now she's at rest - and so am I.

+How to write an epigram:1. Choose a topic for your epigram.

While the subject matter can range from the trivial to issues of great importance, the epigram usually sticks to subjects just about anyone can relate to.

2. Notice what makes an epigram memorable. It shows off a sharp wit, and it generally includes irony or an unexpected conclusion

3. Revise your epigram by trying multiple ways of saying the same thing until you find the one with the most style that sounds just right.