Angela taught me how to write a poem.
1. Angela told us to think of someone we know really well and love. Say who and what the person is to you.
2. Imagine you’re looking at this person in their environment; jot down their poses and mannerisms.
3. What are the person’s hands doing?
4. Describe the hands, what they look like, how they feel, what color are the hands?
5. Create a simile or a metaphor for the person’s hands, the way they look, the softness
6. Ask the person 2 meaningful questions. Give the answer you think they would give (if they had to be truthful)
Here’s the poem I wrote after following the six steps above:
My Confidant
He picks up the phone on the first ring,
baritone booming over thousands of miles, just to comfort me.
It doesn’t matter what has gone wrong or right, he laughs a little,
and I see my father’s smile. But he is not my father. He is my friend.
I can see him standing, bronze hands, slender and warm,
reaching out to me, as I tell him this or that.
Calmly, like a person who’s seen it all and knows it all, he teaches me.
I listen,
knowing his words are a security blanket, protecting me during the storms of life.
I ask, “Why do you love me unconditionally?”
He answers, “Because I can.”
