Notes: This poem came from an exercise Stephen Dunning and William Stafford’s Getting the Knack. The process is simple: cut out 50-100 words from newspaper titles, then arrange the words into something interesting. I used headlines and advertisements from a couple of old issues of The New Yorker. Dunning and Stafford advise poets to encourage serendipity and a bit of weird in their poems. I liked this exercise so much (and have so many words left!) that I just might have to do it again soon.
This is one of my favorite ways of introducing poetry writing to students. It’s theform I used to have students respond after 9-11. I wish I had those poems. They were fabulous. The New Yorker is my favorite magazine, so well done w/ that. One more day!
You have tried so many different formats! And come up with so many terrific products. Congratulations on a job well done! #Icantwaituntilthisisover!
LOL, Carol. My mom texted me this morning: “Only two more poems to go.” Thank goodness! She knows I’m counting down the days til April 30! A rewarding challenge–but WAY more challenging than 30 days of slicing! I didn’t know how good I had it before!
What a great challenge. It turned out SO great! I amazed at how much you continually have to share.
I have a set of magnetic poetry on cookie sheets for my students. They enjoy playing around but the leap to using only the words provided is hard for them. They always want to insert their own words. This is a great exercise for creativity and right brain thinking. Talking to the night sky reminds me of Amy VanDerwater’s project this month, writing about Orion.
the dirigible plum 
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