Poefusion

Poefusion #10

The next writing exercise is by Maureen Seaton from the book The Idiot's Guide to Writing Poetry by Nikki Moustaki. Detail Scavenger Hunt excerpted from pages 287- 288.

Here is a good way to gather details to make a rich and textured poem. You can do absolutely anything with the details once you've found them (written them down)- write a rant, translate them into another language and write a pantoum, collaborate with a group or go solo. Use all of the details in your poem, or a few, or just one. You can make up your own Scavenger Hunt- try a City Hunt, a Suburb Hunt, a Cornfield Hunt, a Seaside Hunt, a Cyber Hunt. Wherever you are, come up with a list of things to find and then go looking. Or use the same list everywhere and see how the details and poems shift. Here's one I suggest for cityscapes. Go to the corner of your street and prime your senses. Notice the eccentric and neglected details. Really search for something no one else might find. Walk around.

List:

Something Red

A Headline
An Interesting Window
A Bright Light
A Quiet Smell
Your Favorite word(s) today
Something Not Orange That
Reminds You Of Orange

Something That Rhymes With Juniper
Something You Overheard
A Childhood Memory
Fascinating Footwear
The Moment It Got Colder
A Loud Song