Lara Tupper: Swift Ink Stories

Find Your Words

in Just- 
spring          when the world is mud- 
luscious…

                - e.e. cummings
 

As a prose writer, I sometimes resist poetry. I tell myself I’m not experienced enough or that I don’t really understand it. But I do know what speaks to me, such as this e.e. cummings excerpt above. [in Just-] was originally published in The Dial, May 1920; May seems an apt season for experimenting, for stepping into potentially muddy, unfamiliar places.

May writing exercise: Gather a magazine, a pair of scissors and a glue stick. Create a “found poem” by snipping random words. Don’t think too much about the process—just see what jumps out at you. When you feel you’ve gathered enough words, arrange them on a blank page in any way you like. Believe me: No matter what you do, you’ll create a poem.

For “extra credit,” read your poem out loud to a friendly, supportive someone. If you wish, post your words on my Swift Ink Stories page for fellow writers to enjoy. (An…