Introduction to Poetry How To Be a Poet (to remind myself) I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide Make a place to sit down. Sit down. Be quiet. or press an ear against its hive. You must depend upon affection, reading, knowledge, I say drop a mouse into a poem skill — more of each and watch him probe his way out, than you have — inspiration, work, growing older, patience, or walk inside the poem's room for patience joins time and feel the walls for a light switch. to eternity. Any readers who like your work, I want them to waterski doubt their judgment. across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name on the Breathe with unconditional breath shore. the unconditioned air. Shun electric wire. But all they want to do Communicate slowly. Live is tie the poem to a chair with rope a three-dimensioned life; and torture a confession out of it. stay away from screens. Stay away from anything They begin beating it with a hose that obscures the place it is in. to find out what it really means. There are no unsacred places; There are only sacred places Billy Collins And desecrated places. The Apple that Astonished of Press ~ Wendell Berry ~ Copyright © 1988 by Billy Collins. All rights reserved. Reproduced by with Poetry Daily permission. 10 9-8 7 6-5 0 Poetry Journal/Grading Goes beyond Meets Deviates from Deviates from Is not done or expectations; expectations, expectations, expectations to is done so Rubric attention to could be a little needs attention a great degree poorly it is detail shows more precise or to accuracy, unscorable
Introduction to Poetry I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide or press an ear against its hive. I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out, or walk inside the poem's room and feel the walls for a light switch. I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name on the shore. But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means. Billy Collins The Apple that Astonished of Press Copyright © 1988 by Billy Collins. All rights reserved. Reproduced by Poetry Daily with permission. How To Be a Poet (to remind myself) Make a place to sit down. Sit down. Be quiet. You must depend upon affection, reading, knowledge, skill — more of each than you have — inspiration, work, growing older, patience, for patience joins time to eternity. Any readers who like your work, doubt their judgment. Breathe with unconditional breath the unconditioned air. Shun electric wire. Communicate slowly. Live a three-dimensioned life; stay away from screens. Stay away from anything that obscures the place it is in. There are no unsacred places; There are only sacred places And desecrated places. ~ Wendell Berry ~ Poetry Journal/Grading Rubric 10 Goes beyond expectations; attention to detail shows 9-8 Meets expectations, could be a little more precise or 7 Deviates from expectations, needs attention to accuracy, 6-5 Deviates from expectations to a great degree 0 Is not done or is done so poorly it is unscorable
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