CW Poetry Class: First Poem

So for the first week of class, we read "The Backyard Mermaid" by Matthea Harvey and I wrote this for my first assignment. I loved the concept of the mermaid being desperate to be in a wetter world. It reminded me of my sister’s indoor cat that tries to run outside every time we open a door.

Indoor Outside Cat

There are only small chances to escape.

Her harness, though restricting,

is the key to the patio door,

but her mother will be gone until Thursday.

The door by her food is opened regularly,

but only leads to spiders’ homes, metal devices,

and a roaring machine her keeper uses to go outside.

Why does the keeper use that machine?

Outside is not scary like that machine, but

quiet and wondrous like the equally baffling shower

whose mouth spouts nothing but hot water and

does nothing but make her mother smell different.

She must get out in to the open,

into the sunlight unpolluted by windows.

She can almost feel the wind in her whiskers and taste

the pine needles and cold grass.

Maybe if she sings her feelings her keeper will understand.

The keeper likes to nuzzle her mate at the front door

when he leaves in the morning.

Longing for a sniff of something earthier

than the dust in the litter box, she advances

undeterred, even purring. She will map out

every inch of that grassy space. An indoor cat

at home in her outside place.

CW Poetry Class: Week 2 Assignment

I am taking a creative writing class this semester and so far have worked on two poems. This is the project I have been working on this week. It is an exercise created by Jim Simmerman that has really challenged the way I think about the subject I chose for this poem. Hopefully you'll find it interesting too.

Twenty Little Poetry Projects

1.  Begin the poem with a metaphor.
2.  Say something specific but utterly preposterous.
3.  Use at least one image for each of the five senses.
4.  Use one example of synaesthesia (mixing the senses)
5.  Use the proper name of a person and the proper name of a place.
6.  Contradict something you said earlier in the poem.
7.  Change direction or digress from the last thing you said.
8.  Use a word (slang?) you’ve never seen in a poem.
9.  Use an example of false cause/effect logic.
10. Use a piece of “talk” you’ve actually heard (preferably in dialect         and/or which you don’t understand).
11. Create a metaphor using the following construction; “The (adjective) (concrete noun) of (abstract noun)…”
12. Use an image in such a way as to reverse its usual associative qualities.
13. Make the persona or character in the poem do something he/she could not do in real life.
14. Refer to yourself by nickname and in the third person.
15. Write in the future tense so that part of the poem seems to be a prediction.
16. Modify a noun with an unlikely adjective.
17. Make a declarative assertion that sounds convincing but that finally makes no sense.
18. Use a phrase from a language other than English.
19. Make a non-human object say or do something human (personification).

20. Close the poem with a vivid image that makes no statement, but that “echoes’ an image from earlier in the poem. 

5 Pro-Tips for Your First Year of College

In honor of everyone moving in today, I thought I'd share a bunch of tips I learned in my first year of school.

1. You do NOT need everything you see at the store/ packed for your dorm.
Girls. Seriously... that bag-thing that attaches to your bed will prove useless if your bed is less than five feet off the floor. Just bring your bedding, basic wardrobe, a few dishes, and your basic beauty products. You won't have time to apply both liquid and powder foundation everyday, and you really won't wear that peplum dress OR your stillettos. Ever. Unless your are rushing a sorority or seriously like getting up at 5 a.m. to primp, leave it at home.
And guys, you don't need your five piece stereo set and surround-sound TV. Your roomate and RA (who fields complaints from the people upstairs) will thank you.

2. Yogurt and fiber bars
At least until your stomach adjusts to the cafeteria food, you will need something to regulate your system. I survived on Activia and Fiber One alone for a week my first run-in with the food on campus.

3. Look into the student discounts in your area
Its college. You are on your own for the first time. Be fiscally responsible. My campus hands out coupon books at textbook rental (which you should look into too, btw). Walmart gives a discount to students for everything except groceries (go figure). Apple and Dell do discounts and/or gift cards. A lot of movie theaters (AMC and Regal) give out student discounts. A lot of restaurants give out discounts too!

4. The College Triangle... it is real.
 I'm not even kidding. My best advice is to find the best possible ratio between these three and stick to it. For example, my friends hang out on Thursdays after the school week has mostly ended (because let's face it... Friday morning classes are kind of a joke). During the week, we pretty much only see each other during dinner. Homework is impossible otherwise.

5. Notice the times of day when the campus shuttle is most active...
 ... and avoid it at the most popular times. Most of the people on my campus start their morning classes at 9:30 a.m., so I avoid the bus between 8:45 and 10:00. The bus gets lazy at 2 p.m., so I walk after that time because otherwise it takes 45 minutes to get anywhere. Walking is sometimes faster than being lazy.

Once again, if you are a seasoned veteran of college, or if you find some of your own pro-tips, please comment down below because I'd love to hear from someone! Thanks for reading! Bye!