One assignment that I give introductory creative writing students who are keeping creative journals, is to take a news story and by deleting words ONLY, create a poem.
So, to kick off tonight's contribution to National Poetry Month Challenge, I'm going to try and do that myself.
I like to pick topics that are typically non-poetic sounding in nature when I do this.
Here's the story I selected through random Google search and without reading prior to choosing it: THE DANGEROUS NIHILISM OF TRUMP VOTERS
As you can see I deleted a lot of it. I plucked the title from the article as well though.
You should give this a try. It is both easier and harder than it sounds, like most things in poetry.
*I'll be posting my other NPMC poems soon. Keep an eye out. Everything is done slower with a new born about.*
NPMC Poem 16:
"Incoherent Animus"
But there hasn’t been nearly enough blaming
of his voters.
They are “angry,” or “frustrated,” or “fed up,”
But exactly how reasonable
how rational?
“only somewhat” and
“not at all.”
to hold a candidate accountable for his or her ideas.
Worse, many regard crude simplifications
as a feature,
not a bug
a badge of uninvolvement
Trump electorate’s “ask,”?
Bill O’Reilly says Trump’s
“outspoken attacks
galvanize Americans
who are bitterly disenchanted
by a society that puts grievance above achievement"
rephrase
Trump’s voters are bitterly disenchanted
because they think society
puts the grievances of others
above their own.
upset about systemic favoritism of the lazy
and
upset that immigrants are taking all the jobs
they simultaneously express anger and distrust
believe Trump can order that feckless leviathan
to wall off Mexico,
stick it to China,
wipe out the Islamic State
keep the Social Security checks flowing.
believe, with an instinctual passivity
the political system is “rigged”
Incoherent animus
propelling Trump
voter nihilism
a symptom of political decay.
“He’s not perfect,
but anyone would be better than this corrupt bunch,”
the sort of thing many Italians said,
about Silvio Berlusconi,
or Russians about Vladimir Putin,
or Venezuelans about Hugo Chávez.
Let’s end the historical analogizing there;
it’s enough
how often the cry of “blow the system to hell” has gone up
among peoples living in freedom and democracy,
sometimes just before they lost both.
So, to kick off tonight's contribution to National Poetry Month Challenge, I'm going to try and do that myself.
I like to pick topics that are typically non-poetic sounding in nature when I do this.
Here's the story I selected through random Google search and without reading prior to choosing it: THE DANGEROUS NIHILISM OF TRUMP VOTERS
As you can see I deleted a lot of it. I plucked the title from the article as well though.
You should give this a try. It is both easier and harder than it sounds, like most things in poetry.
*I'll be posting my other NPMC poems soon. Keep an eye out. Everything is done slower with a new born about.*
NPMC Poem 16:
"Incoherent Animus"
Recriminations
flow
after Donald Trump
after Donald Trump
But there hasn’t been nearly enough blaming
of his voters.
They are “angry,” or “frustrated,” or “fed up,”
But exactly how reasonable
how rational?
“only somewhat” and
“not at all.”
The country faces perplexing challenges,
The pro-Trump
segment has thus abdicated a basic duty:to hold a candidate accountable for his or her ideas.
Worse, many regard crude simplifications
as a feature,
not a bug
a badge of uninvolvement
Trump electorate’s “ask,”?
Bill O’Reilly says Trump’s
“outspoken attacks
galvanize Americans
who are bitterly disenchanted
by a society that puts grievance above achievement"
rephrase
Trump’s voters are bitterly disenchanted
because they think society
puts the grievances of others
above their own.
upset about systemic favoritism of the lazy
and
upset that immigrants are taking all the jobs
they simultaneously express anger and distrust
believe Trump can order that feckless leviathan
to wall off Mexico,
stick it to China,
wipe out the Islamic State
keep the Social Security checks flowing.
believe, with an instinctual passivity
the political system is “rigged”
Incoherent animus
propelling Trump
voter nihilism
a symptom of political decay.
“He’s not perfect,
but anyone would be better than this corrupt bunch,”
the sort of thing many Italians said,
about Silvio Berlusconi,
or Russians about Vladimir Putin,
or Venezuelans about Hugo Chávez.
Let’s end the historical analogizing there;
it’s enough
how often the cry of “blow the system to hell” has gone up
among peoples living in freedom and democracy,
sometimes just before they lost both.
Cool idea. I'll have to do this. Can it be any kind of news story, and could you do this with a book?
ReplyDeleteAny new story will do. I generally try not to change the overall meaning of the story, but you could certainly have fun without that outline. I haven't tried with a book. It would be quite a cutting down process. Maybe start with a piece of flash fiction and work your way up. If I remember, there is a story writing exercise you can do that uses sentences from your favorite story or book, but I don't remember the specific rules off hand.
ReplyDelete