1. Using this Free Verse Poem Instruction
“Write a free verse poem which captures either a particular moment (Driscoll’s
“Vocabulary Words”), view of the world (Hughes’s “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”),
and/or mood/tone (“Last Bodies”).
Demonstrate an ability to construct lines and line breaks that are meaningful and/or
interesting.
Use poetic language and binding techniques (other than end-rhymes) to help you.
We can use line breaks (and stanza breaks) for particular purposes to achieve particular
effects:
● to spotlight an image or idea
● to group words that share a pleasurable sound
● to create a cliffhanger or surprise effect
● to move the reader in a new direction or teleport him to a new place”
2. Read these 3 Free verse poem
Clean Freak (Gianna Cachay)
Every day I will get an itch
Which will begin as a single thought only
If I were to act swiftly, my mind would be fresh with this thought
And will create a path to lead me, like an alpha wolf with its pack.
It will be small and resonant,
The place will be clean, it has always been clean
But it’s not, not really, and to touch it
To touch anything, it’s disgusting.
The sink, the floor, the doorknobs, the toilet, it’s disgusting.
I will not stop cleaning–my mind is a blank page.
I will not stop until I feel like I should stop, until it’s spotless, until I’m satisfied.
I will not stop until there are no cruds, no stains, no filth–the smell of disinfectant
Will satisfy me and the thought will be gone.
But it will creep back, slight and eerie,
With every hour, a new thought will spawn.
Every day I will get an itch
And if I don’t act fast, another thought appears
Then another, and another, and another, and another, and my head will spiral,
And so too will everything else.
The anxiety of these thoughts will shake me, and I will walk the path,
Desperation and resentment will rupture from inside me, I must
Clean everything. Frantically, maybe manically, but I must clean.
And when I’m done, the thoughts, one by one, will trickle like droplets on a window.
Until the next hour.
.
A Troubled Youth ( Nathania Green)
What is a bond?
What is the relationship brothers share?
Is it the happy times or the sad times?
What is the gravitational pull of a sticky finger?
What are the sins of the father?
Is it doing as he was taught?
What is the smell of gunpowder and that of “brethren blood”?
Is it a commitment or a mistake?
It’s a path no-one should walk.
It is a field no athlete should play in.
It’s a bed you need not sleep in.
It is the inevitable.
A troubled youth troubled by his environment.
Forgiven (Nathania Green)
What was supposed to be a good time,
too good to be true.
High hopes all around, until it spoils like milk.
Sip after sip you lose more control.
Everyone you touched, left worse than before.
I tried to leave, yet I could never escape.
You didn’t know that we suffered.
My life was fine before you stepped in.
Now I question what could’ve been,
had you not come along.
When I lost my patience, I paid for it every time.
Deep down I know you’re hurting,
more than anyone could know.
I know you have demons, I too have some of my own.
It wasn’t all your fault, I understand you care,
But you won’t let go.
I forgive you, but I must stay away.
3. WRITE 3 CRITIQUES ACCORDING TO THIS TEMPLATE
Length
100 words for each poem
Instructions
Describe the plusses and minuses of every story you read. Every story has plusses and minuses. Find
both.
Follow the template below. Answer the questions with something more substantial than “yes” or “no,” and
back up your answers with examples of effective or ineffective writing from the story, you should easily
meet the word-count requirement. If you think you have followed the template but have not met the word
count requirement, get in touch with me.
Template
● Structure (look at Free verse poem structure above): Does the structure have the primary
elements required by the assignment? (For an anecdote, for instance, does it have a phrase
like “one day,” and is it actually focused on one incident)? Does the writing build toward an
interesting finish? Do all parts of the structure fit, or should a part be tossed by the wayside?
● Content: Does the writing contain everything required by the assignment? What parts of the
content are interesting? What parts are not? What could be built up or reworked in a
revision?
● Language: On a basic level, could you understand the writing? Would you describe the
language as substandard, average, or legitimately interesting?
● Terms of Assignment: Overall, has the writer successfully met the terms of the assignment?
Has the writer successfully navigated the constraints? Suggest ways she could better
navigate those constraints
