Poetry on Demand: An Original Poem

I just finished writing this poem for Tricia’s Poetry Stretch - Six Words. You can find out about where Tricia got the idea for the six-word poem stretch at her post. You can read the Poetry Stretch Results here.

Here are the six words I used in my poem: bucket, candle, friend, hole, ocean, snake.


Poetry on Demand
By Elaine Magliaro

Our teacher explained the writing test:
“You must write a poem.
Your poem must contain the six words listed on the board:
bucket, candle, friend, hole, ocean, snake.
Your poem must make sense.
It must contain imagery and figurative language.
It must be finished by the end of this class period.”

When I heard the words You may begin,
I rolled my eyes and groaned.

Then I crawled out of my dark hole
of desperation
and found a candle of hope
glowing in my imagination.
Grasping my pencil
like a best friend
in an hour of need,
I let it snake
a trail across my paper.
As it slithered down the page…
it left poetic scenery behind:
an ocean of onomatopoeia,
a seashore of similes,
a meadow of metaphors,
a lovely landscape littered with alliteration.

I was inspired.
I was on a roll.
I was putting the final period on my paper
when I heard the class bell ring.
I skimmed through my poetic masterpiece
as the teacher strolled down the aisles
collecting our tests.
That’s when I realized
I hadn’t used the word bucket.
Aw, @*&# it!

**************************

At Blue Rose Girls, I have Happiness, a poem by the late Jane Kenyon.

Two Writing Teachers have the Poetry Friday Roundup.