What you describe, how you describe it, all reflects YOU. You are also what you leave out. Poems can come from our experiences, a fleeting moment of awareness, a feeling, or a memory conjured up from the mist of the past.
Start this exercise by collecting a word bank in your journal. You want a group of words in association to ANY of the following key starter words/phrases:
Starter phrases/words:
toast; apple trees; grey geese; a flock of crows; a warm oven; the smell of fresh bread; the sound of a vacuum; wood soap; the smooth feeling of porcelain; the bark or whine of a dog; the clatter of a tree branch; the smell of salt water; numb fingers; sunshine; the taste of oatmeal; popcorn; honey bees; fake grass; muddy shoes; soap suds
After using any of the above, begin to narrow down and pinpoint the emotional parts of these words. How do the words reflect YOU? Think about your relationship with these words--is it a positive reaction or a negative one? What images and experiences go along with your words?
Select a specific setting (remember that setting includes weather, time of day, season, as well as location) from the brainstorming above. Write about something you are doing in that space--an action that is frequently observed or done. It doesn't have to be unique or strange, unless that's you. For example: if your word bank included: fresh lilacs, the smell of fabric softener...you might elect to put your setting in a laundry room, with the action: folding clothes.
Write a short poem (fewer than 10 lines or so) about you. Select words that "describe you"--create a self portrait that could be written by no one but you.
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