Users of Word Magic, Makers of Poems
I'm always stealing ideas from other poets to bring to my classes. This summer I read a very interesting poem by Anna McDonald originally published in The Paris Review. The poem, called "Possible Titles for His Plaque" is a clever riff on the Homeric convention of using tags for characters. Just as Homer calls the Trojans "breakers of horses," McDonald's speaker talks in mock heroic phrases such as "eater of pork rinds" and "pisser off of porches." It's funny and a little disturbing.
For my purposes as a classroom teacher, though, the poem is perfect: it's a tight form that all students can duplicate and it has great use as a model for students writing autobiography (what are possible titles for their own plaques?), for understanding a novel they are studying (think of Holden: wearer of a red cap, mourner of a younger brother, savior of imaginary children, cleanser of the word "fuck", etc.) or a historical or literary character outside of class.
Here is what a student named Alison did with a character from a graphic novel:
DC Comics: Harley Quinn’s Rap Sheet
Guilt-filled felon
Abandoner of her PhD
Rider of pogo sticks
Operator of deadly weapons
Speaker in a Queens accent
Singer of rusty songs
Recipient of second chances
Failure at redemption
Loud chewer of bubble gum
Juggler of dynamite
Baker of cream pies
Receiver of get-well roses
Mistress of obnoxious laughter
Schemer of punchlines
Resident of a fun house
Patient in a mad house
Occasional wearer of pink dresses and rollerskates
Masquerader behind a bubbly innocence
Poster girl for Gotham City psychopaths
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And here's Marie's poem about a friend of hers:
Former Taco Bell Employee
former champion eater of cheesy gordita crunches
former all-time most disgruntled Taco Bell employee
faker of vegetarianism and dire heart conditions
owner of an extensive dream catcher collection
stealer of debate team trophies,
snatcher of children's scooters from neighboring front lawns
possessor of biggest glasses, curliest hair
burner down of junior high bathrooms
photographer of roadkill
heckler of pre-teens and other defenseless schmucks
putter of trash in mailboxes
flip offer of the school principal
do-er of all things people despise.
John S. O'Connor's poems have appeared in places such as Poetry East and RHINO. He has written two books...
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