Bryan's Poem and Reading

An Afternoon in Bed

The sunlight beams through  

its radiant glow glistens upon her face.

Venetian blinds 

create horizontal geography 

on the canvas that is her body. 

She does not wake

 or even stir.

You don’t dare disrupt this   

tranquil scene. 

This is how you always dreamt it would be.

You watch and study her dormant slumber

in amazement of how anything you ever

imagined could be this perfect.

But it is only for now. 

You think of a fleeting moment.  

 A lowering sun;

light turning to dark. 

 Night always giving way to morning (Oh how you loathe that). 

You will wake up;

she will be gone.

 A cold imprint on the pillow next to you

 becomes your last burning memory of her. 

This is how you always dreamt it would be.

Emily's poem, and reading coming soon

Sundays with Elma

"I've been old all day long,"
She hobbles out of her room.

A shirt where her pants
should be.

Changes and changes and changes
the channel
looking for crime on TV.

"I only smoke a few a day."
As she tosses her sixth pack."
Has the fish had dinner? You're making me fat."

A raspy,
hearty laugh.

I'll turn up the TV, please
let me brush your hair.

Don't fight your pills,
I'm sorry you are sad,
just giggle some more.

A kiss and a hug, I love you, too.
I'll introduce myself again tomorrow to you.

Ralph's poetry reading

Memorial for a Christmas Tree Farm

Some people will get you as early as November. Cut you at the stem and drag your dying body though a field. They put you in a machine that shakes you so violently your loose bristles fall off. They wrap you in string so tight you can barely breathe. A man carries you out to his red Silverado and his kids are so excited to see you.

When you finally pull into the driveway they cut at you again and unstrap you. You are propped up in this big metal can that has water inside. The kids throw wires on you and it tickles. They hang glass bulbs of every color onto you like jewelry.

You feel beautiful and don’t mind that your dying. One morning you find dozens of wrapped gifts under you and watch as the children’s eyes explode with innocent excitement. And you realize that your sacrifice was worth it.

--Ralph Farina

Poetry read by Lauren Krause

Imperious Gesture

Once I was a snowflake
a white clover
like thousands of shimmering novas
soft as the wind’s breath.
Creating a colorless haze
with a chill of that distant death.

Now I am a devil’s bit
a golden heather.
Like one constellation
lifeless as paper’s pulse.
Gaining momentum
with a sweet exultant smile.

-Lauren Krause

Katie's poem and reading video

The Incurable Optimist:
Michael J Fox’s Life with Parkinson’s


Right now, I’m feeling pretty good
don’t you worry about me.
If I let it affect everything,
it’s going to own everything.
I don’t deny it
or pretend it’s not there,
but if I don’t allow it to be bigger
than it is,
I can do everything else.

My body is an isometric exercise,
I’m always putting pressure against things.
Whatever I’m doing at any given time,
I’m also doing something else-
I’ve always got this thing going on.
I can’t always control my body
the way I want to, and I can’t control
when I feel good or when I don’t.
I can control how clear my mind is.
and I can control how willing I am to step up
to anything if somebody needs me.

One thing the Illness
has given me,
is a degree of death.
I have accepted that loss and it’s
helped me to realize there’s gonna
be that big loss.
I can now accept anything,
acceptance is the key to everything.
My happiness grows in direct proportion
to my acceptance.

I have to think of myself as a regular human being,
with an incurable optimistic illness

.

Poem by Katie, Bryan, and Brooke

A Cold Hearted Bitch with the
Eyes of a Loyal Husky Dying
to Steal my Soul in Columbus, OH

The smell of your neck is like shit and
I hate you. Your voice is like a rambling child
that won't shut the hell up. The touch of your
hand is acid to virgin flesh.

Your neck smells like an overflowing landfill,
birds won;t even feast from. Your voice is like tequila
and I'm too drunk to care. The touch of your hand is rock
like metal bars without an escape.

The touch of your hand is death I never saw it coming.
Your voice is like jagged razors, slicing at open wrists.
Your neck smells like shit and I hate you.

Arizona is Like the Articulation of a Hot Tempered Hyena

Arizona is Like the Articulation of a Hot Tempered Hyena

Your voice is like

A feather blowing in the cool nights breeze
Like Cotton candy on a hot August tease.
Is soft like the bottom of a baby bunny
Like toasted marshmellows and dripping honey.

Like dragon fingernails scraping across dirty scud
Like an elephant that has been parading around in the mud.
Like a lions roar.
Is a slimy snake slithering around after a war.

By: Brittany Long & Brittney Fraley

Metaphor Poem

The Kentucky Sky Line Lit Like a Rainbow-Fish,
A Peacock Frivolous and Unnecessary


Your voice is like the kicking of a can down a gravel road
like sandpaper scratching my stability and slowly causing erosion
like a Jefferson Airplane song
like the wind being shoved through the gaps in my window pane

The touch of your hand is a shackle of possession.
A chill
a permanent frost on a brittle branch.
It is the outside of a neon-picked apple,
shiny
smooth
but also hard to touch.

Your neck smells like the salt from an icy street
Like golden lotus in summer shade.
Like a salty shore, strong and retrieving my senses.
Like a new car with tan leather seats
Like maple wood ash.

By: Jessica, Lauren, Matt

metaphor poem from Brittany Buckley, Ralph Farina, Emily Marsh

Alaska is as Mean as a Mothergoose

Your voice is like

My alarm clock on a Saturday morning,
a heart monitor, steady and even.

Candy canes and cigarettes,
a dying coyote.

The creaks in the floor when
a fifteen year old sneaks
out of her parent’s house,
innocence that has come and gone.

Movie Response

I enjoyed watching the film. I thought it was very interesting and that some of the poets were a little different, but i like the things that they all had to say. They all had different things to say and i thought that everything that they had to say was good. I liked how the poets talked about how you are limited to your own personailty and that poetry is a form of art. I liked the movie and all the poets had many good things to say.

Sorry i'm late, Mike i totally forgot about it until just now!!

"Where Poems Come From."

I found the film Where Poems Come From to be very thought provoking. It was interesting to see that almost every poet had their own unique way and style of creating a poem. The ideas used were dreams, music, a purpose, and of course... love. Allan Ginsberg was a real trip... Listening to him spat off poetry to the beats of jazz was just mind blowing for me. Sadly, I know I am not able to approach poetry but just to hear him talk was inspiring. I enjoyed Levine because the dude just seemed like a total character. Very funny... very Woody Allen-esque in the way he talked. And the fact he came up with a poem or story... I consider it a story, from a dream of his that dealt with issues of race and economy, I also found truly impressive.

The women poets... Oh man what to say... maybe I will just leave it at that. They seem to function on a different level when it comes to poetry and they are very, very... angry. The poet, I can't recall his name, but he talked about his poems having a purpose. This is very important to me on so many levels. I think that poetry should serve as having a purpose. That in the story we tell, one can connect with an emotion, a lesson, or just gain a new understanding about life. That is a very powerful message, considering poems are not self help books or novels preaching about the meaning of true love (I'm talking to you Stephenie Meyer!). That in a sonnet or however-many-line-poem: the essence of love, death, comedy, and tragedy can all be captured. That is of course... if you know what the hell you are doing (I know I don't). I am looking forward to part 2 of the film today in class and I am sorry that I forgot to post this by Friday. No excuses.

Film Response

I enjoyed the movie a lot. I thought a lot of the poets were very comical. All their idea's seem to be different and unique which is what I think helps to make their poetry so great. I agree with the idea that poetry is an art form, and that it is not something that is just going to pop into your head. I think it is important to keep an open mind and be free to interpretations. I felt like a lot of the poets in the film agreed with this. Many of them talked about how poetry is not like a set schedule for writing. You are free to create what you want and make it your own.

Film Response

I liked the fact that every poet thought differently. Yes they seemed to be a little out there but all of them went about aproaching poetry in a different way. The thing that struck me the most is the poet who thinks of his poems in pictures, i also think of my poetry in this manner. A lot of the times the images flash right infront of me so fast i find it hard to try and write them all down at once.

Thoughts on Poetry

I really enjoyed that video that we watched on Thurdsay because it allowed me to gain insight from the All-Stars of poetry. The film showed me the personal process that these writer's use when they are creating their poems. I ecspecially enjoyed the interview with Allen Ginsberg (my favorite poet) because he discussed how he thinks in rhytm and forms words around the vowel sounds. That is such a unique way to write, just focusing on the overall sounds of his poems. His poem Howl is a great example of that, and I realized this from first hand experience when I had to read his poem out loud for one of my classes. I also enjoyed the concept that a poet discussed about a poem being a product of your concious and unconcious mind. They said how a poet has to free his or her self from their rationality. Also someone said how poetry is an urge and a function--i like that.
Another aspect of the film I enjoyed was when the poets performed their poems. I think that gives a whole new life to a poem when the actual writer performs it because it is able to come alive. I particularly liked Alice Walker's performance.


P.S. Sorry, I did not realize there was a deadline on the post and I did not look at it untill this evening.

Where Poems Come From

I found the film very interesting and insightful. Also, it was really cool how none of the poets really said the same thing. They each had their own personal opinion about the way a poem is created and each thing said was entirely different. Some things that really stood out to me include a quote by Louis Gluck that said, "I don't believe poems are made exclusively by will." I really think that this rings true because whenever I write, I feel like I need to put it down on paper, it is not something I can entirely force myself to do, or hold back things that I don't really think should be revealed. It just spills out onto the paper with control. Another thing that I found very interesting was a quote by Levine that said, "None of us know what it's all about. We just do it." I think this is very true as well. Poetry is a mystery, even to poets themselves. It's impossible to say why we write poems, we just do it.

p.s. Mike, I'm sorry this is late... to be honest, I completely forgot the deadline.

I found the film very interesting. It was funny and entertaining yet also had some meat to it. It looked at poems in a way I hadn't thought of them before. To hear about what begins and guides a poem from professional, quirky poets was helpful because they have devoted their lives to poetry. One poet said that poems aren't made exclusively by will, they harness forces of the conscious and unconscious mind. I like the thought of poems coming without the poet really intending them too.
Another poet said that poetry is a "hopeless pursuit of reality." This idea is intriguing to me, as though the poet works to get closer and closer to truth and reality but is never quite there. This makes poems difficult but necessary when you consider the opinion of several of the writers featured; a poets responsibility is to tell the truth.
One of the poems that stood out to be was the poem about the writers cat stopping the line. I thought it was endearing and funny yet also lending thought to enjambment. Another poem that sticks out in my mind is the spanish poem. At the beginning of the poem I read along with the captions and found the poem beautiful. Then I looked away and continued to listen and though I only understood a few select words, it still sounded beautiful. This drove home the idea of a poem being rhythmic.
I found all the poets a bit crazy, which made me appreciate their poetry and advice more.

where poems come from

I thought it was interesting when the famous modern poets were interviewed on how they begin poems and where the ideas come from. Many of them believe that words are used for their rhythm, not their meaning. A poet's responsibility is to tell the truth. One person believed that they become sort of possessed and that poetry takes a hold of them. They believe they were chosen to have a voice through poetry. I really liked when they brought the unconscious into their writing. They have vivid dreams that come as a sign and inspiriation to write.Cruz was telling us how a poet always goes back towards his views of the world and where he grew up, no matter what the poem entailed. The rhythms and sounds reflecct the human senses and thats why these poets are so good. Poets begin from a purpose. I thought it was neat when they realize their own habits in syntax and other parts, and try really hard to break them and change them. One poet describes his origin of peoms as laments- "remember something only if you have lost it." And he brings back these vivid images through his poetry. I was just blown away by the amount of good work these people can produce. When they feel strongly and put it on paper it's just different from the level I feel i work with. I thought this video really inspired me to write and come up with a lot of original, thought out work. The passion they bring with their work is intense and I felt that watching it rubs a little of their passion into us. Hopefully i will be able to concentrate harder on the poems i compose and take more time and focus on RYTHM.

Where do poems come from?

I thought this was a very interesting question to ask, because in my personal opinion it depends on the writer. Poems come from ideas, thoughts, dreams, and visions. Poems come from an imaginative mind, with the skills that take those thoughts and dreams, and place them into words down on paper to create what we call a poem.

You use every force of you mind to create a poem, as one guy said in the video, writing poems takes patients, it not only uses your conscious mind but also your unconscious mind. And sometimes when you're trying to understand your unconscious mind and make since of it, it takes time. Another quote that stood out to me in the video was that even though the rational mind is at work, its not running everything. Your ideas and thoughts are a huge impact to your poem, although your mind might be thinking it through rationally, its not doing all the work, your visions are helping it along to create something that makes an awesome poem flow.

My favorite part about the video was the poem that Alice Walker wrote/read. "How poems are made" She begins by saying she understands how poems are made, there is a place where fear, choices, and loss must go. She called it the leftover love. I loved that line, it was very powerful to me and it struck my interest immediately. Poems are about those things that mean something to you, a poem comes from someones mind, and heart. A good poem in my opinion has feeling, has meaning, and has emotions. She goes on. Then she gradually comprehends how poems are made, there the tears that seasons the smile. Another one of my favorite lines, it just captivates me every time i read it because i feel it. It makes since to me that way.

Poems come from within, through reason, thought and imagination, and leftover love.

Where Poems Come From response

I enjoyed the film mainly because it introduced so many different perspectives on the possible ways that poems can be created. Some were very unique, others a bit strange, but were sweet to hear because they struck light bulbs in my head!
One thought that I found to be really interesting was the idea of harnessing every force of your conscience aware mind, but to patient with your unconscience mind because of the capable thoughts and ideas it can produce. I thought that was pretty cool because I often don't take the time to sit and think about what I'm essentially not thinking about/aware of. Kind of a complex idea, but I thought it was pretty sweet. There is so much that I'm not aware of, but am capable of discovering. To put those thoughts on paper into a poem will always be unique. They might be hard to take apart and try to tell what the poem is about because there'd be so many ideas flowing into that poem!
I also agree with the idea of words coming from sense details. I particulary enjoy the smell sense the best because I believe every smell reminds you of something. That's why I love candles and couldn't write a poem without one near. They get your mind running on different themes, memories and ideas with just one little flame :o)

Where Poems Come From response

Well, I'm interested to hear all your comments, and personally I really got a lot out of this film. It's so wide rangeing and I just love hearing from so many different writers about what they think poems are and how we can find them and create them. The part where Allen Ginsberg just starts beating out lines with cadence and rhythm reminds me of songwriting. Once a pattern or rhythm is set, you just have to find words and sounds to fit the pattern. That part really reminded me how much poetry is related to music.

I loved the section about Phil LeVine too and his dream about the visit from his friend in the factory and his terrible wife. Eugune Watkins from Detroit. Anyway, Levine took that dream as a warning and he said, "It was a warning. Don't turn your back on those people who were your life". Then he stayed home from teaching in his bed for a week and as a result he wrote two amazing books, What Work Is and A Walk With Tom Jefferson.

Well, I don't know if I can get by with missing work to write poems at my level of fame, ha ha, but I admire the devotion to a vision, and his words about not leaving behind those people who were your life makes a lot of connections with me. I come from farm country and very working class roots. In the university, I meet almost no professors and teachers who share my background, and it can be easy to dismiss my upbringing as unintellecual and important, but I know that the people I come from must always remain a priority for me, too. I don't want to forget where I come from or the fact that people in the lower economic classes are often looked down on in our stupid, consumer-based pop culture.

So the film had a lot of crazy, funny moments, but it also really made me think, and some of the thoughts were deeper than others, but that's what I got for now.

High Street

The cracked side walks are always home
To late night students
Out with friends
Hoping that the night never ends.

Old houses with falling shutters
used to be homes to families
now they are infested with,
parties, friends, and occasionally studying.

A homeless man begs for change
the smell of Buckeye Donuts
Nights like these
Make me feel like i have a second home.

Hugo Poem and Personal Process: Katie Belton

The Triggering Town was very helpful in guiding me to not care so much about what the reader is going to think after reading my poem. I learned that if I'm honest with myself and write about my passions or interests, I'm going to write good poetry. When the first poem was assigned, I had not read the Hugo's theme/idea of not being afraid what the reader thinks yet. I had immedaitely thought of a dream I had recently that I wanted to write about, but then thought to myself that maybe I shouldn't because of how violent/sexual/vivid it was. After I read that section of the book, I wrote the poem about my dream, because I wanted to go with what my mind was telling me to do without any fear. The Triggering Town has inspired me to be a fearless poet.

My poetry writing process usually consists of collecting thoughts from experiences that have happened during the day, or consists of writing while people watching. People watching is one of my favorite things to do (not creepily..) at a restaraunt or while working. I serve tables so I get many opportunities to see strangers communicate passionately daily. When it comes to writing the poem, it always helps me to sit in my room with the fan on, down comforter over me, candles lit, and occasional glass of wine. It may sound corny, but the smells of the candles usually help me relate the smells to feelings or memories I've had.

Process of Poetry

When I write a poem it various in creation but I tend to maintain certain habits in the overall process. First, I try to come up with a general subject to lead my poem in some direction--I try not to make it too specific to leave room for creative exploration. I write down ideas that I associate with this subject and than gradually narrow down my topic from there. Once I have a topic I just do a lot of thinking about that topic. I seperate myself from fully concentrating on it, and go about my daily activities still keeping it in the back of my mind. I also carry a notebook around with me so when I do have a random thought I can write it down. After a day or two I will sit down with my notebook of thoughts and try to organize them in a poetic way. I try to re-write the lines and see if I can alter the words and bring formality to them. I am not the type of person who can just sit down and write a poem in one draft, that is just not my style.

The Triggering Town

I think what i will take most from this book is the way to create poems. There is a different method, a different way of composing every time. We as composers of poetry often must rewite our poems and constantly over look them. I liked the fact that he says that all new poets must not be praised, because often a feeling of wanting satisfaction drives us more.

The process I usually use for writing poetry is a rather simple one. Sometimes I sit down in front of my computer and just begin to write. Other times I will find myself either trying to sit outside my back porch, or if it is a nice day, walk down to the park. I often write my poems in notebooks but sometimes if an idea hits me i will find any peice of paper or something to write that idea down onto.

1. The Hugo book taught you many different ways and ideas on how you can go about writing poetry. I also think that how everyone has there own style to poetry is important because we all write in our own style and have our on kind of creativity.

2.When I write a poem first i think about what i am going to write the topic of my poem. I try and get a couple of ideas because for me my first idea never ends up working out. After I have my idea i just start writing down everything that comes to mind and putting it into lines, and trying to make it all fit together. Then i go back through and break everything up and make it fit together and i always end up changing things around and adding things so that it fits together and makes sense.

Triggering Town & Writing Process

The most important thing to me from Triggering Town was Hugo's emphasis on creativity. He tells us to not be afraid to jump ahead. Do not be afraid to stray from the norms. I like that he says you won't be a poet until you realize everything he says is wrong. It may be right for him, but it is wrong for you. I think this reiterates the idea of creativity. Poetry is an art form; something for you to make your own. One of my favorite lines he uses is, "In the world of imagination, all things belong."


When I write a poem, I think about the subject. I picture the first thing that comes to my head after I read the subject line. I figure there must be a reason WHY this was the first word that popped into my head. So I usually go from this idea. I try not to think to hard about meaning the first time through. I write whatever comes to my head. Then after I am done, I go back through and edit and change what I have written.

Blog Response 4/15/09

After reading Hugo's The Triggering Town, the concept I will take away the most from the novel is that poetry is an extension of you. That poetry should contain true emotion. Emotion that is real and ignites the imagination. Hugo's writing I believe focused heavily on these concepts. The concept that one's most negative characteristic can be turned into a positive feature or idea in a poem. To never be bound by language. Do not let a title dictate your poem. And that a "poet" should never think that he or she has reached perfection. Always strive for something more and never be self fulfilled. Keep on keeping on.

The process for which I write a poem isn't really all that complex. Step one usually involves purchasing a bottle wine at the local grocery store. Carlo Rossi for 10 bucks is a steal if you ask me. Two glasses of wine later, I tend to stare blankly at my laptop monitor and then just let the words flow. I never think of a title first and pretty much just let my emotions dictate the tone of the poem. I prefer to work in absolute silence as Hugo says one should. I just think I am more in tune with the world around me. I try to at least get one or two metaphors and strive for some comic relief in my poems. They tend to be dark in humor or I guess... sarcastic, and try to imagine situations I would never find myself in. I tend to like to look at picture for a poem as I find that to be my triggering device. My poems I find always tend to be narrative in nature, and I-am-okay-with-that. I have never once tried to rhyme two words because I just feel it comes off corny and unatural (for me anyway).

Daniel Wolfe Blog 4/15

1) I will take a lot from the Hugo book. It offers many ideas that someone could use when writing poetry and I think more than anything, I'll keep the book and go back to it from time to time for ideas. Hugo just offers so much information and so much technique that I feel like it would be impossible to incorporate all of it every time I write a poem. However, I deffinitely want to make sure that I incorporate some of it in every poem that I write.

2) My process for writing poems is pretty simple. I go to one of the computer labs here at the Delaware Center and make my self comfortable at a desk. Then I read through the prompt for the poem(s) at least three times. Once I feel comfortable with the prompt and know what I need to write, I just start typing things into the keyboard. I just type words or phrases or things I see around me and eventually an idea will pop into my head. Then once I have an idea, I just try to work out a poem from that. And if all goes well, I end up with a pretty good poem.

Hugo and Poem Processing

Writing about Hugo

I just finished the book, "The Triggering Town," by Richard Hugo. I believe that Hugo provided a lot of clever insight about writing poetry and I will take the information he stated and apply to my own personal style and way that I write poetry. He proposes that there are two types of writers, public and private, and I think this is a fairly decent way to categorize the different ways in which poets write. I feel that all of his chapters in the book were designed to cover a basic understanding and concept of writing poetry. My favorite quote from the book is where Hugo says, "Writing is a way of saying you and the world have a chance." I really like this sentence in the book, because it makes me think about my writing acting as a form of expression for me. It comforts me to know that I have a chance to let people hear what I have to say.

Poem Processing

When I write a poem, I let my creativity flow. I start off by getting a specific image in my mind and from there on I just write about what ever comes to me next. Sometimes I like to write about stuff I know really well, and when I do that I like to keep it pretty close to the facts. Other times, I let my imagination soar and I write about whatever pops into my head. I normally tend to make my poems rhyme and I like to write line by line. What I mean by writing line by line is that I start with the first line of the poem and go on to the second...third... forth... fifth... and so on. A lot of the times my poems either tend to have a comic undertone to them or they are mystical and yet sinister. Basically, when I write poetry, I just start writing and don't stop until I clearly get across what I am trying to say.

hugo/poem writing

Hugo helped me realize that even though there are no rules for poetry writing, there are. His guidelines that stand out are the little things, like don't ask questions in your poem. The book matured my poems.
My process for a writing a poem is listennig to music or running. I will not sit in front of a piece of paper with a blank mind. I make garbage when I have no pre-meditated subjects to wither down.

Matt Fowle

1.) I learned a lot about artistry from Hugo's book. An artist should constantly be struggling, and should not need acclaim or praise to continue his work. Art should not be viewed as a competition, and an artist who views his work as such is destined to fail himself. I also learned a lot through his poems and his in depth analysis of them.

2.) When writing a poem, I usually find a topic or idea which I have contemplated and investigated and put it to music. I try to structure my ideas in a way which can effectively translate my opinion. I spend time by myself gathering my thoughts on the idea, and try to express them visually in my head in scenarios, and then fit those scenarios into words and lines. By the end of the poem, I usually feel I have not done my thought justice, or have not fully answered the question I have posed.

Lessons from Hugo

Overall I thought Richard Hugo's book gave me a different perspective on how I can approach writing. A few things that I took particular notice to was the idea of coming up with your own assumptions to a subject matter. Whether those assumptions were accurate was essentially arbitrary, it just mattered that you formed them. I also enjoyed chapter 7 in its entirety. He gave interesting insight into other famous writers and how we can learn from them. The book was an enjoyable read that made me think about writing in a slightly different way than I did before I picked up this book.

Hugo and Poem Process: Jessica Orange

I found The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo a extremely useful aide in my writing. He addressed several issues I've had myself while writing a poem and it was very stress relieving to know that I am not the only one who has a problems with things just as making assumptions, finding the right "triggering town" to write about, and dealing with feelings of being inadequate when I write. Hugo also wrote about things that I felt like I could relate to, such as obessions with certain parts of my life and how it effects my writing. I was really touched by the chapter Ci Vediamo, which I learned means "until we meet again" in Italian. The story of how emotionally connected he felt to the location he was stationed in during World War II really made me feel like I understood him more as a person which helped me take what he said about writing more to heart. Hugo's honesty about the writing process and things that may effect the writing process are extremely useful and things I feel like I will consider from now on when go through the creative process.

That being said, when I do go through the creative process, I usually go through something different everytime I write a poem. When given a prompt, I usually go through some research about possible topics, like the Animal poem, I searched different wild animals and their behaviors, looking for something to inspire myself. Then I write down my topic and words that come to mind when I think about. I usually don't incorporate all of words, but some of the language that jumps out at me will definitely find a way into the writing, usually when I don't expect it. On the other hand, when I'm just writing for myself, about anything, whenever I feel inspired by something I just write down how I feel. Whatever is going through my head at the time, and although the poem usually ends up pretty rough, I will go back maybe the next day, or even the next week, when my emotion about the topic is less biased in my brain, and then I can make revisions to make the poem clearer and less rigid and more relatable.

Final Thoughts

1. Basically all summed up into a few sentences, write your poems for the music they make. Don't base it all on truth it becomes almost impossible. If you let your imagination run with a key word you can do wonders to make a poem that flows musically. Certain sounds can make or break a poem. I think this really stood out to me the most because you don't realize how much a poem depends on the sound of the words to make something stand out to you as a reader or a certain words that just pops out in a line. Its all about the music.

2. To be honest i think its different every time i try to write a poem. It depends on my mood, my thoughts, if i have a prompt to follow of if its my own ideas coming down on paper. With the exercises given to me for class i have to think up and idea and then toy around with words. Sometimes it takes me a while to figure out what i want to write about or how i want it to flow. Other times when i get a really good idea words just come to me, i write down all the words i want to use and all the ideas and try my hardest to make it work with my poem. Now for the poems that don't follow a prompt, it comes pretty natrual because there just my thoughts and feelings being spilled out on paper and i just seem to be able to write and write. If i come to a line that i dont like or a word that doesn't quite fit i think of something that would fit better. Then it all comes together.

Hugo book & writing process

The main idea that I will take away from the Hugo book is that poets need not be faithful to reality but should instead be faithful to language when writing a poem. He stressed in several chapters and with several different examples the idea that truth will conform to music. I had never thought of writing this way, and I found that when I kept this in mind while I was writing it was really helpful. It doesn't matter if the population of a town is nineteen, if you need to use the word seventeen, you should and the poem will still be accurate.
Another aspect of The Triggering Town that really stuck for me was that I could really feel his passion for poetry and for teaching. It is a huge part of his life and he shared many ideas that work for him, some of which I can apply to my writing, others that I just found interesting. Along these lines, the chapter titled Assumptions stood out and showed me an aspect of writing I hadn't ever considered but seems like it could be really beneficial.
My process for writing poems isn't the same for every poem. For this class, since for the majority of our poems we have had prompts, I start by jotting down a few ideas I could go with for the poem. From that, I pick of the ideas and write some words that relate to it that I like or some facts or images I think of when considering the topic. Usually at that point I hit a wall. I have to walk away from it for hours, if not a day. Then, for most of the poems, the best ideas I have come to me when I'm laying in bed about to fall asleep. So I end up getting up and jotting them down then putting all my thoughts together in the morning.

Poem from Brooke, Emily, and Kevin

Sweet Scents in Hershey, Pennsylvania

The factory building on top of the hill
breaths black smoke
like a bellowing blanket suffocating the clouds
behind belittling air, scent of sweets
taunting our tastebuds

Tickled the tummies of the traveling tourists
Black masks reality, while sugars spread
Workers craft treats for travelers
And the youth enjoys it's bounty
It's a bitter sweet symphony.

Poem by Brittany Long

The Ship that Sails Along the Florida Coast

Waves crash against the sandy shore. Tide is high.
A lonely seagull wanders along the water's edge,
searching for a long lost friend.

I look out into the surf, the vast
mast in the distance resembles
the pearly clouds of Heaven.

A ship is sighted just beyond the horizon,
that sails in the cool, midnight ocean breeze.

The bow is decorated, a gallant facade.
A true treasure of the tempting seas.

A ship in the sea, is a man's true, passionate love.

He remembers the time they have shared together,
gentle and beautiful, with the grace of a dove.

He is the captain, the ocean his mistress,
they dance together nightly, morning within the distance.

Soon the ships draws near,
the man returns to his somber pier.

Poem from Daniel

Fields in Hilliard, Ohio

A tractor drudges forward taking up both sides of the road.
Reflectors flash stop.
A mother and son in a mini-van drive to their humble abode.

The fields stretch out beyond the trees
leaving miles of scenery for the eye to behold.
The mother glances at the son with a gentle loving ease.

She does not see the tractor ahead,
the road is slick with rain.
Now she fears they'll end up dead.

The tractor stalls, the crash nears

and suddenly, This story ends in tears.

Poem from Jessica Orange

The Dancing Chorus in Branson, Missouri

The bright soiree of skirts onstage,
Families gather, throwing fits of rage.

The music strikes, the violins quiver,
the lights dim, and melodies simmer.

The chorus appears, with costumes in tow,
The pearly white plastic smiles revealed with the violin's bow.

As I gaze at the stage, I must not forget to mention,
The marvelous shimmies, long legs, begging for attention.

Every movement on an exact beat, 1 and 2 and 3 and 4,
The familiar tempo, leaves me wanting more.

As the lights go down, and the applause rises up,
I realize one more thing...
Branson is a place for pleasure,
Sensory shown cannot be measured.

Poem from the creative minds of Bryan Kish and Lauren Krause

North of Newark

it's hot.
Not the good kind of hot
But the kind of heat that paralyzes.
Mind and body are not one.
Sweltering summer snow only lay
A few inches from me--
A phone call away.

That’s the kind of city this is.
Where garbage litters once clean and
Hopeful streets and welcoming benches,
Lay as shattered ruins like a dilapidated movie house.
Reeling messages, scenes and stories told only
Through graffiti.
This is summer North of Newark.


By: Lauren Krause and Bryan Kish

1 poem mishap

Matt and I did not follow directions and made one poem together instead of two. He will post the poem.

Driving Through Mingo

Burial grounds surround
the plot. Four cold stones
with the last name 'Smith'
carry the burden of a
drunk

Empty broken bottles and
bags spill from a southbound
pickup.

The back left tire is low, turning
like a broken record
Scratching.

Pictures of posing girls bounce
behind the wheels.

Deep in the shrubs is a collection
of baseball cards, minty condition
from the plastic protective agent
around them.

A p0nd with no fish on the edge
of town. A lonesome turtle drags
himself across the sidewalk

Billows of silver smog from the brick
yard. This used to be a place of
commerce. Coal mines ripped

clean like plates from a starving
coyote.

It begins to rain,
Washing the grey
from my streets

Please post your Triggering Town poems today

Hello students, and once you get a gmail account, we can all use this blog for the rest of the quarter.

Please start today by writing a poem with a partner, and then posting it to the site.

Thanks, and it will be fun to read and comment on poetry in this way!

Mike Lohre