Instructions For Poems

Verselove is a community celebration of poetry in April—an invitation to write, read, and reflect together. You’re welcome to write a poem a day or to come and go as you need. Reading and leaving a brief note—a line you loved, an image that stayed, a feeling a poem stirred—is also a meaningful way to participate. This is a generous, low-pressure space. We’re glad you’re here.

Our Host: Jessica Sherburn

Jessica lives in Chicago, Illinois where she teaches English at Mather High School. She is currently a teacher-consultant with the Chicago Area Writing Project. She has served as a Representative-at-Large within the Michigan Council of Teachers of English and a Teacher Advisory Group Member for the Zekelman Holocaust Memorial Center. In addition to writing poetry, Jessica enjoys hiking, kayaking, and penning sarcastic quips. She is a proud mother to two cats, Ollie and Davie, who enjoy long naps and knocking over mugs of black tea.

Inspiration

This winter, I was fortunate to see the Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. I was particularly moved by excerpts from Grapefruit, in which she writes “instructions” for paintings and poetry. For example:

“Time Painting”

Make a painting in which the color
comes out only under a certain light
at a certain time of the day.
Make it a very short time.

“Closet Piece II”

Put one memory into one half of your head.
Shut it off and forget it.
Let the other half of the brain long for it.

Process

Verselove offers such a wonderful opportunity to write poetry throughout April. Some of us may have met our lofty goals; others may have fallen short of initial expectations. No matter which camp you fall into, give yourself grace. Then choose a pathway:

• Pathway 1: If you’ve written many poems (and are running out of steam)
  • Choose 1-3 poems you’ve written, then write a list of “instructions” about your process. What did you hear, see, smell, taste, and feel as you wrote?
• Pathway 2: If you haven’t written as much as you’d hoped (and want a plan going forward)
• Brainstorm 1-3 topics you haven’t had a chance to write about yet, then make a list poem of “instructions” for how you will do so. What will you hear, see, smell, taste, and feel as you write?
• Pathway 3: If you want a challenge
  • Write any “instruction” poem in Ono’s style.

Jessica’s Poem

Instructions for Two Poems to Write (in May)
by Jessica Sherburn

Poem 1 – Instructions for A Poem About Letting Go
Imagine a red balloon
filled with longing
floating upward toward
the sun.

Turn away just
before you can
see if it
pops.

Write a poem about
the peace that
accompanies not
knowing.


Poem 2 – Instructions for A Poem About Breathing
Place your right palm
on the swell of your belly,
the left on the
drum of your heart.

Close your eyes;
memorize the alternating
rhythm between
your hands.

Write a poem
In which the
meter matches
your body’s beat.

Your Turn

Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may choose to use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers.