4.7: Writing Assignment: Voice Poem

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Directions

Write a first-person poem where you are the speaker writing about some aspect of who you are. This means, you will use first-person pronouns: I, me, my, myself. Here’s a list of poem suggestions:

Connect yourself to some aspect of nature like Langston Hughes did in “Negro Speaks of Rivers.”
Write about a traumatic event that happened in your life like Robert Frost did in “Home Burial.”
Compare yourself to an inanimate object like a computer, a refrigerator, a violin.
Describe a rite of passage in your life.

You get the idea, right? Brainstorm a list of your own ideas, a variation of one of the above, or use one of the above ideas.

Show Don’t Tell

Remember to use specific nouns and strong action verbs. Remember to use your senses, sight, taste, touch, sound, smell. Of course, poets use less words than fiction writers, too.

Line Breaks

Follow the traditional line breaks and format that most free-verse poets use. Make line breaks where there is punctuation, an end of a phrase, or the end of a sentence.

Final Draft Instructions

Follow these instructions for typing the final draft:

The poem must be typed in a Microsoft Word file (.docx).
It must have one-inch margins, be single-spaced, and typed in a 12 pt. readable font like Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial.
Don’t allow the auto-correct in Microsoft Word to capitalize the first line of each poem. Use conventional English rules to write your lines.
In the upper left-hand corner of page 1, type your first and last name, the name of the class, the date the assignment is due, and the assignment name. Example:

Jane Doe
ENGL 1465 – Creative Writing
Due Date:
Writing Assignment: Voice Poem

Be sure to give your poem a title. Do not bold, enlarge, or punctuate the title. Capitalize the first word and each important word in the title.

Writing Assignment: Voice Poem. Authored by: Linda Frances Lein, M.F.A. License: CC BY: Attribution