I love that poetry can be written about ANYTHING. Choose something you like–maybe something you are passionate about–focus on the details of an aspect of it, and write your observations and feelings.
What activity is this poet thinking about?
Makin’ Jump Shots
He waltzes into the lane,
‘cross the free-throw line,
fakes a drive, pivots,
floats from the asphalt turf
in an arc of black light,
and sinks two into the chains.
One on one he fakes
down the main, passes
into the free lane
and hits the chains.
A sniff in the fallen air–
he stuffs it through the chains
riding high:
“traveling” someone calls–
and he laughs, stepping
to a silent beat, gliding
as he sinks two into the chains.
by Michael S. Harper
He never actually names the subject activity, but he uses very specific words that invoke a particular activity. You probably know immediately what he’s talking about… why is that? How does the poet make you think of this activity? Is it just the words he uses, or is there more to how he is describing the activity? Can you write something that has the same effect?
