I have been thinking about this wonderful poem recently. Take a moment to read it out loud.
Did you notice that there is a lot of repetition of the phrase “was political”? What else did you notice? What else stood out for you?
What stood out for me is that it starts on a normal day, with a normal routine, and then goes deeper, into the poet’s childhood, and then becomes more personal still, as it delves into their role as a writer.
I love how it starts with “I woke up”, and ends on “asleep.” There are two meanings in this — one is literal (I woke up, had coffee, had a shower), and the other is playing on the idea of being politically woke. Awakening to the reality of the fact that everything is political.
So today, you’re going to choose one phrase, concept, or word — try “and I was in love” or “and it was blue” or make one up yourself. Then start make sentences using repetition and variation and rhythm with this phrase.
What did you come up with? How did you like the poem? Was it inspiring? As always, feel free to email me or leave a comment here. I would love to hear from you.