These poems were written as part of my William Stafford notebook and poem assignment. Our assignment was to write 12-21 journal entries, and one complete poem “submitted halfheartedly.”
The poems below were originally written as journal entries, and were refined from there. What Makes a Poem? has not been revised from how I submitted it, as I think it is everything it needs to be. Writing Poetry has had the ending revised. Below my finalized poems are the original versions, along with the incremental drafts if applicable.
What Makes a Poem?
What makes a poem a poem?
You can say what it not, and sometimes what is,
But not always.
A poem can have rules.
It can have a structure it keeps to.
But not always.
Written in free verse,
It can have form, or rhyme, or structure.
But not always.
Do I make it a poem by saying it is?
Does my intention to write a poem mean I have made one?
See, there I changed the form.
Is this still a poem?
Sometimes, I think my poetry is just ramblings.
Sometimes, I think my poetry is poetry.
But not always.
You can say what it not, and sometimes what is,
But not always.
A poem can have rules.
It can have a structure it keeps to.
But not always.
Written in free verse,
It can have form, or rhyme, or structure.
But not always.
Do I make it a poem by saying it is?
Does my intention to write a poem mean I have made one?
See, there I changed the form.
Is this still a poem?
Sometimes, I think my poetry is just ramblings.
Sometimes, I think my poetry is poetry.
But not always.
Writing Poetry
When he told us we had to write poetry,
I groaned and shook my head
I can't write poetry I muttered,
I'm terrible at it.
Well, now I'm writing poetry,
and the thing is,
I was only half right.
I groaned and shook my head
I can't write poetry I muttered,
I'm terrible at it.
Well, now I'm writing poetry,
and the thing is,
I was only half right.
Poem Drafts
What Makes a Poem? v1
What makes a poem a poem?
You can say what it not, and sometimes what is,
But not always.
A poem can have rules.
It can have a scaffolding it must keep to.
But not always.
If I write in free verse,
It can have form, or rhyme, or structure.
But not always.
Do I make it a poem by saying it is?
Does my intention to write a poem mean I have made one?
See, there I changed the form.
Is this still a poem?
Sometimes, I think my poetry is just ramblings.
Sometimes, I think my poetry is poetry.
But not always.
What makes a poem a poem?
You can say what it not, and sometimes what is,
But not always.
A poem can have rules.
It can have a scaffolding it must keep to.
But not always.
If I write in free verse,
It can have form, or rhyme, or structure.
But not always.
Do I make it a poem by saying it is?
Does my intention to write a poem mean I have made one?
See, there I changed the form.
Is this still a poem?
Sometimes, I think my poetry is just ramblings.
Sometimes, I think my poetry is poetry.
But not always.
Writing Poetry v1
When he told us we had to write poetry, I groaned and shook my head. I can’t write poetry I told my friend. I’m just not good at it. Well, now I’m writing poetry, and you know, the thing is, I think I was right. |
Writing Poetry v2
When he told us we had to write poetry, I groaned and shook my head I can't write poetry I muttered, I'm terrible at it. Well, now I'm writing poetry, and the thing is, I was only half right. (I was half wrong?) (I was only half right?) |