Thursday in class we read "Billie" by John Wieners and then devised a writing exercise based on it.
Your poem should tell a story that is suggestive but mysterious. In other words, include enough detail so that the reader is interested and intrigued but don't explain everything.
Your poem should create intimacy with the reader by asking the reader to do something or by asking the reader for help.
The people referred to in your poem should be extraordinary, like "gods," people out of "dreams" or like superheroes or saints or movie stars or...
The emotions in your poem should be very intense and vital, perhaps even surprising--surprising to yourself or surprising to others.
The end of your poem should be rich with sound. The end could include a rhyme, assonance (repeating vowel sounds), consonance (repeating consonant sounds), alliteration (repeating consonant sounds at the beginning of words). Make sure the sound helps to intensify the emotions (instead of making the ending silly or goofy--unless you want to convey silliness or goofiness in the poem overall).
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