Today is feeling like a poetry sort of day, isn’t it? And you’re in luck because we have a terrific guest author for this Tuesday Quick-Write.
New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include ALA Notable book What is Goodbye?, Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade, and Coretta Scott King Author Honor books Jazmin’s Notebook, Talkin’ About Bessie, Dark Sons, The Road to Paris, and Words with Wings. Creator of the popular Meet Danitra Brown, Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California.
Nikki Grimes’ Poetry Writing Prompt
Step 1: Write a short paragraph about one of the following words: Bell, Shadow, Leaf, Lemon, Bullet.
Consider all aspects of the item each word represents—how it looks, sounds, feels, tastes; what it does; what you can do with it; how it affects you; what it is made of; where it is found. Does it have an age, a color, a smell? Bring all of your senses into play and try to describe this item to someone who has never encountered it before. The idea is to think about each word in a new, and animated way.
Step 2: Turn this paragraph into a poem. Use as many or as few, poetic techniques as you like: metaphor, simile, repetition, alliteration, assonance, rhyme, etc. Keep your lines simple. The idea is to think about words in a new way. This exercise can help you to keep your use of language fresh. Here are two examples to keep in mind:
Ball is a round, rubber word. Pen is a slim word,
It fits inside my palm. a tube of possibility.
I play with it outside, Poems and essays hide inside
bounce it on the sidewalk. or ride the river
When it hits the ground, of her ink.
it makes a smacking sound. Pen jots down things
My cupped hand waits for it that make you think.
to come back home. Pen is round.
Pen speaks, yet
makes no sound.
Note from Kate: We’d love to see how some of you did with this prompt – feel free to share your writing from today in the comments!
omg! you should have been here to help me recover from the coffee choke at seeing Nikki Grimes face on today’s blog. Welcome Ms. Grimes! I. am. just. in. awe of your work, Thank you so very much for being here. I just have to get this gush out of the way before I do any work or I won’t be able to settle.
Thank you so much for being here, Nikki. We really appreciate your time. Thank you, as usual Kate!
I’m absolutely intimidated by poetry, so it was good to push myself out of my comfort zone today. Here’s what I ended up with:
Lemons
Soaked in sunshine
Brilliant baubles
Aglow in the cloudy aisles
of drab vegetables
Surrounded by piled potatoes, pallid onions, pasty garlic.
Jumbled jewels,
Waxy gem
The bitter tang of summer,
Lost.
in the cloudy aisles…..I like that line best of all. And, the word lost at the end. Don’t be intimidated Terry!
Terry, I love the image of the bright lemons in the middle of all the other drab vegetables!
Wow Terry!
Hard to understand the intimidation when you have such a poetic soul! If that was an obstacle for you, you just made lemonade. I loved how the opening “soaked in sunshine” had such a nice contrast to the one word close “lost”. Brilliant baubles aglow was, well, brilliant! Thanks for summoning the courage to shine outside your comfort zone and concoct this delicious lemonade, I’m refreshed!
Terry, I just love this. Visual imagery perfectly fits and I love the bounce of sound in each line. So fitting for lemons.
Well, I have trouble following rules sometimes. I couldn’t choose one word. And I like the side-by-side look of the poems above. It made me see the offered words side by side. I can’t get the formatting right. I am putting this on my blog so the side by side (I’m sure there is a proper term for this) can be seen.
Vocabulary Lesson
Bell, Shadow, Leaf, Lemon, Bullet
Bell translates offense to
rippling sound
Shadow dark contingent on light
Leaf brief chapter to a tree
Lemon tang of sunshine
Bullet terminate ripples still
Linda,
I like that you “break” the rules, though I think the most captivating writing is innovative by nature. You have a talent that I adore in writers – creating evocative expressions with few words. Your expressions here, “leaf – brief chapter to a tree” and “bullet: terminate ripples still” ignite such imagery! This is the same skill I love in “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane”, brief statements that hold worlds of exploration. I love this piece!
changing tang to tart….changing format from side by side to overlapping.
Won’t be done with this for a while.
Thanks for the comment Greg. It’s just sudukko with words or painting with words for me. I will fiddle and fiddle and fiddle with this for a while.
My coach has me printing out hard copies of my current WIP and actually organizing them so that I can visualize a final product vs. the pile-o-stuff like what you see above.
The leaf hangs from the old front yard tree.
It blows in the soft October wind,
dusty orange and red with elegant points at the edges.
Now it begins to dangle,
Barely holding on,
but still alive with hope and beauty.
It is surrounded by the scent of autumn,
a cool, crisp feel that signifies that winter is coming.
The leaf falls from the old front yard tree.
It is crisp to the touch,
like a burnt cookie that no child wants to eat.
I slowly and sadly rake it into the brown bag.
Autumn has passed,
winter is coming.
Thank you, Ms. Grimes! I can’t think of a better way to start a sunny day than writing a little poetry. The summer has been wonderful, but the exercise got me thinking about my favorite season. Thanks again. Happy writing!
Andy, I can picture the leaf hanging there, sadly, all alone.The opening of the poem sets a nice tone or mood for the rest and the ending, I think.
I love pieces about loss. Not sure why. I’m a pretty cheerful person. But, there seems to be beauty in the letting go of things.
Thanks so much for this prompt! I always find poetry challenging to write, because you can spend so much time thinking about a single word. Here’s what I ended up with:
I look for a lemon,
Pebble-skin in my palm,
Medium yellow, like the sun in her paintings.
I slice the thick rind,
and juice stings my fingers,
the sharp-sour smell a memory of bathroom cleanser
and pie piled high with toasted meringue she can no longer eat.
I crush it in my fingers,
dripping cloudy teardrops into tasteless water,
and leave the drained pulp
for later, after I help her up to sip,
her wrinkles deepening at the sight
of yet another
glass of liquid.
Andrea –
I love the story that is hiding behind the poem. This is really beautiful.
Andrea,
Oh my – “Dripping cloudy teardrops into tasteless water” is lovely. Perfect.
Hi Nikki,
Thank you for the wonderful strategy. My students and I are huge fans our your delightful works! This is an honor to learn from you and share this poem from your prompt.
Shadow.
He is my frequent companion
walking alongside me
always listening
my secrets are safe
a silent partner
my distorted twin
playfully forging ahead
or sporadically trailing behind
I hope to watch over me
We’re always connected
but at times he is hidden
craving the light
to have his darkness recognized
a continuum of grey shades
stretching out
then fading
seeping through fenceposts
clinging to walls
one silhouette after another
imitating my every move
is it flattery
or mockery?
he never lets on
keeping secrets of his own
Leaving me to question
Are his quiet ways
melancholy
or menacing?
In my own darkness
I’m left to wonder
My secrets are safe
In his silence
But am I?
Greg-
Wow. Just wow. This is really terrific. I am not into poetic novels (I’m not ever sure what you’d call a novel written in poetic form) but this piece made me think you should write one.
t.
Thanks Terry! I love poetry, and gush over writers like Nikki Grimes, Jen Bryant, and Ann E. Burg. I love to read their prose. I’m glad you enjoyed my playful post.
ooooooooooooh that turn of the last line. Gives me shivers. Honest question: are shadow’s secrets safe ? Shadow has such a personality in this…playful, trustworthy, unknowable. Makes a reader wonder…which I love. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Linda! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Shadows
Shadows of dappled sunlight
spreading
across the grass.
Thoughts of summer.
Shadows in the dark ,
creeping,
creating mysterious silhouettes .
Thoughts of Halloween.
Shadows of those lost
triggering
old bittersweet memories
Thoughts of family.
Meg,
A lovely poem showing many interpretations of shadows. Thanks for sharing this!
I was utterly nonpoetic, so far. Seeing the word bullet provoked the question (relevant to a corner of my novel draft), Wait, where do post-treat paramilitaries get bullets for illegal guns? This provoked an online search revealing an engineer convicted and sentenced for converting decommissioned weapons to being able to fire. Interesting rabbit hole of research followed… but completely off task with today’s quick write! 🙂 Need to take a break with my boys, but may try this later.
Great writing, all – I enjoyed reading it.
August by the lake,
clouded, wet, and cold–
summer has fled.
Incongruous ice cubes
chill a glass of water,
acidulated by one thin lemon slice
that floats like a lily pad.
Each tart sip zings the tongue,
shivers the skin,
brightens this day.
Brain,
You have made amazing prose from your lemon slice. I quite enjoyed taking a sip of this poem!
I chose the word bell because it reminded me of my college days. I attended a liberal arts college in a small town and the campus was right in the midst of the town. A church was across the street from the main academic building, so the church bell became a distinct part of my college memories. Thinking about bells ringing took me back to those days of sitting in classrooms and provided me with the following:
Sitting at a desk
On a beautiful spring day.
Trying to focus on the lecture
The windows are open
Through which I hear
The sweet chimes pealing
Marking the time
How sweet the sound.
The leaf turns brown
as it sits through fall.
Finally, it says,
“I’ve had enough,”
and floats away
for a trip
across the sky.
As it lands
in a golden field,
far, far away,
it realizes
rest is needed.
and slowly falls asleep
in an eternal slumber.
I forgot to put the title… Leaf’s Journey into Forever
Since I have posted this, I’ve already revised it twice. Love poetry!
yep! I keep poking at the words too. I agree it’s so fun.
I enjoyed trying today’s exercise I think it will be a great one to integrate into the classroom!
-You always have a friend –
He silently slinks and slithers close to you,
Sometimes short and fat, or maybe 6’2”.
At times, he looks gray and other times invisible
Nevertheless, be assured your shadow is always there and dependable
you’ve made shadow playful!
This is a quick write. it was fun finding so many shadows in the room once I was looking.
Shadow
Shadow is an elusive word
Playing hide and seek
Stretching away
From the light
Sending shivers
Down the spine
ooooooh, down the spine! <3
This reminds me of Robert Frost’s poem “Fog.” I love your words!
Hi Nikki:
Thank you for sharing a fun writing prompt. Sharing my Haiku poem about a leaf.
Autumn leaf dancing,
Twirling round the old oak tree.
Cool breeze blows. Swish! Swoosh!.