Write to Show the Experience

Messenger

My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird -
equal seekers of sweetness.

Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums,
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.
                                - Mary Oliver

In the above poem of five lines, Mary Oliver describes her love of life. She notices details.

If she omitted the first line, would we understand her intent by the title and subjects chosen?

In another poem she writes, "The luna moth, who lives but a few days, sometimes only a few hours, has a pale green wing whose rim is like a musical notation."

Here she makes a comparison many might miss. She avoids abstractions and sticks to details to let the reader experience her message.

Choose three poems by favorite poets or select your own work.

Does the title do enough work in each piece?

Do some lines tell the reader too much?

Consider how the poems lead the reader or reveal information in metaphor or sensory imagery.

Creative Write:

Begin a poem by noticing what you love most in the natural world.

Write the lines to connect an emotional understanding with a discovery.

Let the title pique curiosity about the subject.

Avoid telling the reader what to experience.  Let the unfolding of words achieve the emotion.