Poetry Exercises

Hi guys. Tonight in class, we were given a few writing exercises in preparation for our poetry projects. Most of the assignments were brainstorms to create lists of assonant/alliterate phrases. The one that was a real challenge was changing a songs lyrics! I'm done yet, but I wanted to post a bit before I leave class.

The song that I'm going to play with from Parachute. It's called "Blame It On Me." I dare you to not get the song stuck in your head.

Click after the read more to see the lists that I created so far.

Lists:

Alliteration

1.       lexical liaison

2.       treacherous turntable

3.       galloping ghosties

4.       dwindling daffodils dressed up like daisies

5.       journeying judges

6.       kitchen keyhole

7.       ballooning brook

8.       sudden surrogacy of sleep

9.       drumming dance of death

10.   packaged perceptions

Assonance

1.       powerful hour

2.       poisoned oil order

3.       categorical allegory

4.       homely lonesome

5.       quaking waif

6.       auburn apple

7.       fellow’s hell of embers

8.       ordered eruption

9.       blackened action

10.   tumultuous onion

Metaphors for Life

1.       birth

a.       being born—birth is a

b.      giving birth—birth is a sudden silence amidst all the noise of the body, the gathered crowd, the hospital room, the world.

2.       death

a.       one’s own death—death is a leap into the unknown

b.      another’s death—death is a bucket of cold water to the face.

3.       marriage—marriage is a pot of water put onto the stove to boil, you can either make something with it or let it evaporate. Leaving the pot to burn.
4. pregnancy--pregnancy is a mountain climb with a vague destination in mind, you'll only see the view at the end of the journey.