Poetry Class

From The Poet's Companion by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux, "A Simple Exercise"
1. Write about writing
2. It's cold outside.
3. It should be snowing by now, but isn't.
4. Identify the time of day.
5. Use the pronoun "we."
6. Use the word "florid" in a way it would not be normally used.

Poetry Class

We meet at noon,

a group of florid fledglings

with energy like new day

acutely aware of the weight

of our work.

It is cold outside.

Slow blood breeds slow speech

and we work in silence,

await the snow

that is bound to drag us down.

But it doesn’t come.

The scratch of pen on paper,

the smooth rhythm of our breaths,

and I am sure, we have stopped the snow

and stilled the clouds.

We own these words.

We control the world.