Blog on Assignment 1: Imagery

I found the last assignment (write two poems strictly with imagery) to be very interesting, almost fun. I found that I could use imagery alone to give and impression, a feeling, or even set up larger theme, something I didn't realize could be done before this assignment. It seemed almost haiku-ish, very to the point, capturing the essentials. Putting limitations on poetry seemed a little counterintuitive to the whole poetry writing process at first, but after a while it actually seemed to help make my poetry better. I had to choose which words were the best, most accurate means of describing what I had in mind. The fact that we couldn't describe emotions or ideas made me use more creative and effective means of communication. By avoiding descriptions of emotion, and ideas, I was able to make my poetry stand out more and to better draw interest in my poems. I was also able to avoid descriptive clichés that would keep my poems from being my own personal take on events. Overall I thought it was a great assignment, which showed me that forming rules and restrictions on poetry can help one learn what it is really all about; originality.