poetry assignment 3

     When transforming these descriptive paragraphs into poems, I attempted to structure the new poems around separate scenes depicted in the prose.  Each stanza, therefore, represents a descriptive or active scene from the paragraph. The white space between those stanzas is intended for the reader to pause and digest each scene. The use of white space also allows for a separation between sounds of syllables used in each stanza or scene intended to give a musical, rhythmic quality to the flow of the poem as a whole, as a vocalist might take a breath between phrases in sheet music. Stanzas and lines were also formed in a way that allowed the syntax of the sentences in prose to naturally be structured. Stanzas were kept short to make the poem appear more accessible and not overwhelm the reader with the contents of each “scene”.
    I attempted to shape the new poems around a thematic center that would anchor the poem and draw the reader in. Choosing a thematic center required paying attention to the climax of the paragraphs, watching for the natural apex of action or emotion. For the “Pine Barrens” section, I chose to use the episode where the lizard materializing as the witch as this center, because it was the most active part of the paragraph. After this scene, the poem ends describing the mysterious origins and death of the witch. For the “Blueberry Farm” section, the thematic center was more difficult to locate. I formed the poem around the repetition of sounds in the stanza describing Charlie’s family. Although this may not be the most intense part of the story, I thought the rhythmic quality of these lines together helped set the tone and pace of the remainder of the poem.