Writing Exercise 1 – A Poem to Your Past Self
June 3, 2012 in Writing Exercise
Hello All!
So the first writing exercise is a bit late, but perfection takes time 
As writers and readers, we often address others, and ourselves in the present tense. However, I’m sure all of us, at one point or another, have considered our past and how it has shaped who we are today.
Our first assignment is this: Write a poem to yourself in the past. Consider what you would tell yourself in the past if you had the chance, given all that you have experienced up to now. Everyone has dreams and aspirations, fears and imagined (or real) pitfalls. Use these and other aspects of your life to craft a piece that speaks to you then as well as now. Be sure to think creatively!
Create a post and tag it Poem To Your Past Self, or reply to this post.
Happy Typing!
The WriteMyEpic Team
Jerrod Begora said on June 13, 2012
Found
comfort only safety creates
Notion
unquestioned principles that drown
Mistakes
Endless from unbridled passion
Defeat
Define
Drive
Understand
Alone
Calculated freedom
Repeat
Repeat
Repeat
Lost
Celeste said on November 13, 2012
Jerrod,
I like your use of powerful words to convey powerful imagery. The poem itself is very spare, but conveys a sense of urgency, something I strive to achieve in my own work.
I think I miss part of the story though, and as a reader I’m left curious about what kind of passionate mistakes you have made, what calculated freedom is, and what your unquestioned principles are! While I enjoy the abstraction of your poem, I want more from it in the way of details
One more thing I noticed-The way you have written this almost seems like an electronic message to be beamed into someones head from some sort of satellite. I have no idea where this comes from, some weird part of my brain just thinks that way! LOL. Rock on, sir. Rock on.
Ben Hubert said on October 27, 2012
Ambition
is the road guide to Earthly bliss
Bold
actions are for the meek and the strong
Fear
compounds only to the absence of love
Celeste said on November 13, 2012
Ben,
I really like how you used words to head your lines. It really brings the message home for the reader.
Something to think about: Expand on the images you have wrought here. Ambition/is the road guide to Earthly bliss–Where does it lead? How did you seek that path, and stay on it? Is this tongue in cheek, or honest opinion? Fear/compounds only to the absence of love–This has a strong impact for the reader, and I like that it’s your last line, but as a reader I want to see more of how you got to this conclusion. Part of a poem’s level of interest is that it’s a way to peek inside the life of another human being, without getting all mucked up in their day to day lives. Like an essence of life, without the bullshit its usually suspended in. More essence here please! LOL. Looks silly now that I’ve written it down, but I think it could really flesh out your work here.
Overall, a striking work because of its simplicity as well as careful word choice on the part of the author. Well done!