Happy Poetry Month!
Are you ready to play? Stretch a little? Do some writing reps?
Today’s exercise is based on “Poetry with Ease / without Ease” from Sandra Soli in Wingbeats II.
Take a poem that’s been giving you trouble (or write a new poem), and use the letter E in every word. It can be a long sound (beak, peek), a short sound (leg, egg), or anything else (feather, plundered).
If you feel stuck (what? I can’t say sky or air or light–not even light?), start by making a list of words.
After you have your E poem, rewrite the poem using only words that don’t contain the letter E.
What does that do to your poem?
The variations here are many:
- Choose a different vowel.
- Use only words that contain the letter L.
- End each line with an R sound.
What do you hear? Did the constraints help you come up with a new music–or new images?
Do the different versions contain parts that you want to keep–or have they led you to a new draft of your poem?