Poetry Exercise
A persona is a mask adopted by the author.
Tips:
Find a news story and imagine you are part of it.
Try writing in first person (I, me, my, etc…) with figurative language.
Use sensory details (sights, sounds, touch, taste, and smell).
Here’s what you have to do:
Focus on the subject you want to write about.
Find a character that fits the subject. How does this person feel about the subject, and what’s their backstory? Make sure to research historical facts, if your poem takes place in a historical setting and/or about a historical person.
As you write, maintain the world of the character, their time and place, moods and emotions, and the type of audience their speaking to.
Remember to keep the poem’s message in mind.
Once you’re done writing the poem, you can:
Share it on my blog under the comments of the forum post. (Make sure you are signed up as a Member — which is Free — to post).
Widow Poem
The waves crash onto the shore,
and the roaring of it fills her ears.
Is it going to devour her
like it did to her husband a few months ago?
The therapist says the water won't eat her.
She says to get past those fears is to confront them.
The salty breeze nudges her forward,
closer.
She wraps her shawl tighter around her,
slow steps across the rocky shore,
digging in her heels.
Standing at the edge,
she reminds herself,
he died sailing during a storm,
not standing on the shore.
The water looms up before her,
splashing against her legs.
She scans the coastline,
wild eyes searching for someone.
Just in case she goes under.
No one's around.
Shuttering,
she takes a step back,
loosening her breath.
Maybe another day,
she'll try again.