30 Poems in 30 Days: The Constraint as a Tool
September 20, 2007 by John Hewitt
This is Day 17 of 30 Poems in 30 Days
Wild Assignments
Towards the end of my undergraduate education, I stumbled into Peter Wild’s
By this point in college, I was a veteran of many poetry writing classes. Most of them were, you might say, free form. The instructor tried to guide you in your work, but most of you assignments were general “bring in a new poem this week” assignments. There is nothing wrong with that approach. It allows people to work in their own way and their own style. Peter Wild’s approach, however, was totally different. Peter gave assignments. He would tell you how many lines to write, what subjects to pick, whether to write in the first person or the third. At one point he gave both the first line and the last line of the poem we were to write. I still remember them.
The first line was:
For centuries lovers have looked to the stars
And the last line was
And the three-legged dog chased the beer truck out of town
Not all of his students liked this approach. It was too hard. It stifled their creativity. It made them write about things they didn’t care about. The other students complained, but I didn’t. I loved having the constraints and challenges. I may not have always produced my best work, but I learned to become more resilient as a poet. For the first time in my life, I felt like poetry was something I could control and shape at will.
One of the benefits of constraint is that it gives you something to start from. If you know what your last line has to be, you start to think of ways that you can get there. If you know that you have to write a poem about the constellation Orion, you go out and stare at the stars. You are no longer dealing with a blank page. You know that at least one of those words is going to be “Orion”. That’s a place you can start from.
We have, of course, been dealing with constraints throughout this project. Form and meter are constraints. Style and tone are constraints. It is important to realize a constraint is a tool. It helps bring focus to a poem. You won’t always want restraints, but when you are stuck, a constraint is a good way to get the words flowing again.
Today’s Assignment
Wikipedia’s Random Button is a great and magical thing. Today it lead me to an article about Cheshire Mammoth Cheese. The story of Cheshire Mammoth Cheese has everything you need for poetic inspiration. It has historical significance. It has political significance. It has small town appeal. It has people working together toward a common foal and it contains a pop culture reference. Most importantly, it has cheese. Find a way to incorporate this article into a poem.
Today’s Recommended Poet
Noah Eli Gordon is prolific. He has released two books of poetry so far this year with more on the way. When asked about that in an interview, he said, “The simple truth is that I write a lot, that I spend much of my time doing it—even if it’s only pacing around my apartment waiting for some interesting phrase to catch me off-guard, or half-reading until I find something I feel inclined to respond to. I’ve tried everything I can think of to bring a poem into the world: automatic writing; timed writing; making word lists; sketching out detailed charts of specific syntax and filling in the words later on; writing only in public; writing at specific times of day. The really maddening thing about it—and I’m sure this is true for many many poets—is that once you’ve had that breakthrough moment with a particular mode it’s sure not to work the next time.” I admie his effort, and his results. For those of you who identified with the Imagist movement, his book A Fiddle Pulled from the Throat of a Sparrow
Interview with Noah Eli Gordon
Books of Poetry
A Fiddle Pulled from the Throat of a Sparrow
Inbox
The Area Of Sound Called The Subtone
Sample Poetry
how human nouns
gray matter migration zone
Four Allusive Fields
from The Year of the Rooster
An exact comprehension of the composer’s intent
From “Jaywalking the Is”: “First Dream”
A Lost Whalebone Essay
Related links
- 30 Poems in 30 Days: Persona Poems (1.000)
- 30 Poems in 30 Days: About Forms and Lists (1.000)
- 30 Poems in 30 Days: A Brief Glossary of Meter (1.000)
- 30 Poems in 30 Days: The Good the Bad and the Meter (1.000)
- 30 Poems in 30 Days: Syllabic Verse (1.000)
Contact John Hewitt
Writing Content and Web Consulting
Email: hewitt@poewar.comPhone: (520) 261-6104
LinkedIn: poewar
Twitter: @poewar
Facebook: pwar2
I”m sorry. This is just a big fat nothing for me — I’ve taken a run at it several times, from different angles, rhythm, narrative, etc., but I can’t find My Last Dutchess in this bit of American history, the best I could come up with was
If Barnabas did it like this (I’d be a happier poet today)
Barnabas Collins had it right
when he flew up to Connecticut that night
He rid the nation of a cheese making blight
Chased the villans into Massachusetts,
Then plain out of sight
I’ll share the cup with that vampire any day
But that moldy old cheese, I’ll not eat it, no way
As for Tommy Boy, he was an infidel
It’s just not a story that teacher’s like to tell
I’ll shut up now before someone takes me seriously
Calls the law and hauls me off to jail
I’d liked to have seen the poems that began with “For centuries lovers have looked to the stars” and ended with “And the three-legged dog chased the beer truck out of town” — sounds like a fun assignment to me.
Hi Amy, If I can find mine, I’ll post it.
Hi Connie,
Feel free to Hit the Random button again until you are inspired.
I’m happy with what I have; I”ll put it in my collection called:
“Queen of Tart.” “Sometimes less is more,” Mozart. Also by the Master, “a rest is the ’sound’ of silence.”
Our Daily Cheese
We gather together for our daily cheese
How many cows
For this single slice of American cheese food product
Individually wrapped
A perfect square for sandwiches
Grilled or otherwise
Back in the day it meant something
Combining the milk of many cows
To make one cheese
They did this for presidents
They presented it to Jefferson and Jackson
With the pride of a small town
That can create one great honor
How now lone cow
Try to find a cheese from just one
A single cow is special now
Someone took the time
Someone kept it separate
Someone believed in craftsmanship
Even when it comes to cheese
I want that cheese
That stands alone
I want to know the name of that cow
I want to know the name of that farmer
I want to know who made that cheese
VOICES
Improvisations on the story of a gift of a mammoth cheese to Thomas Jefferson by the citizens of Cheshire, Massachusetts, as told in Wikipedia
1.
He’s the big cheese around here,
so we have to butter him up.
The Rev. says he flows with the milk
of human kindness. We’re afraid
that he’ll milk us all dry.
2.
He’s not one of us.
His ways are strange.
French. You know
what they are. I wonder
what infidelities he conceals?
3.
They say with pride
no slavery was involved
in the making of this gift.
Although I myself am not free
to give what I do, yet I choose to.
4.
I have paid for this tribute
fully half the value.
I didn’t have to.
Better half a loaf than none.
Cast your bread upon the waters….
[...] 30 Poems in 30 Days: The Constraint as a Tool [...]
[...] 30 Poems in 30 Days: The Constraint as a Tool [...]
[...] 30 Poems in 30 Days: The Constraint as a Tool [...]
[Note: I swear this started about cheese]
Tonight
I come in peace, with nothing to sell tonight.
This inscrutable message: does it ring a bell tonight?
You’re out of words. I’m sure I know that look.
It might come down to show and tell tonight.
Even with a mouth full of empty holes,
you still manage to say you’re doing well tonight.
The shirt off my back? Have the moles off my skin.
Name another cliche we can dispel tonight.
By God, but in that open-buttoned shirt
you sure know how to cast a spell tonight.
Saul Nadatas last blog post..Tonight