#also sneaking in the odyssey bit but [leans into the mic] Odysseus is another Man I'm Not so jot that one down

[good--merits-accumulated]

!!!!!! This prompt is particularly lovely. The poem meanwhile is more of an anti-prompt; e.g. it could be subtitled, Portrait of the Poet As Men he is Not.

(You are doing brilliantly, Mona! Keep it up.)

Hello again!

I had a wonderful time reading all of your lovely poems this past week, the directions you all chose to take the prompt in left me nearly speechless.

I'm happy to announce that I have a new prompt for your writing this week; Write a poem about yourself from the perspective of someone else. There are no constraints as to who you choose to write in the POV of, enemy or loved one, stranger or close friend, it’s up to you! I’m incredibly eager to see the variety in your works.

Here is my example poem:

Flat Circle

Relief escaped my lips like the fleeting breath of a cadaver,

gone is the torture at the hand of the rebellion's vessel.

Droves of your predecessors masking the reminder of your refusal,

granting permission to be moulded in a uniform image.

Cookie-cutter children blend with their peers in a monotone gradient of my design,

society's drear bent at my will.

Yet the recognizable sight of your unbroken spirit defaces my honor as it did before,

casting a shadow undeniably similar to my own.

John Keating

As before, this assignment is entirely optional and open to all those who wish to participate, student or not.

Best of luck,

John Keating

student blog tags: @unmanned-flying-deskset @social-anxiety-and-poetry @phonecall-fromgod @knoxious-overstreet @radiofree-america @pittsie-boy @therealrichardcameron @head-of-the-dinner-table @tthe-cat-sat-on-the-mat