Poetry Challenge #279-Ravenize
Maybe the cold drear winter weather causes writer’s minds to turn toward horror. Mary Shelley was born in London, Stephen King in Portland, Maine, and the great granddaddy of horror, Edgar Allan Poe, was born January 19, 1809, in Boston, Mass.
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
”‘Tis some visiter,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”
These famous lines are from the poem “The Raven”, a long, narrative poem about a raven that came to visit a man and wouldn’t leave. When the poem was published in 1845, it made Poe famous in his lifetime, but it didn’t make him much money. Many people reprinted the poem or mimicked its rhythm and rhyme with their own words.
Poetry Challenge #279
Ravenize
Now it’s your turn!
Write a poem with the same rhythm and rhyme scheme as “The Raven”.
If you’re not sure how to get the rhythm, count the number of syllables. Start your poem with “Once upon a time…”
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, write it!
In keeping with his life—and writing—Edgar Allan Poe’s death is spooky and mysterious. One day, he left on a business trip and . . . that’s all we know. For a treat listen to the whole story on The Dinner Party podcast.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2400+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
All who subscribe, comment or share a poem will be entered in . . .
