Yesterday’s exercise was based on Ada Limón’s “The Echo: Same-Language Translation” in Wingbeats II. The idea was to take a poem that you love, and translate it into your poem.
Today, let’s do the same thing–except find a poem that is written in a style that is as different from your own poem as possible.
For example, if you like to write in very short lines, choose an excerpt by Whitman. If you prefer long lines, try Emily Dickinson or H.D. If you like to write in a narrative voice, look for a post-modern lyric. You get the idea.
Again, spend some time with it–read it closely, listen to its sounds and the way it moves. Does it make you feel uncomfortable? Where?
Now, translate that poem into your own poem.
What new images arise? What new language?