What or how do you write a Blues poem or an Affirmation poem?
I need to write a poem, but need more information on the format of a Blues poem or Affirmation poem. What exactly is a blues and affirmation poem? HELP!
Best answer:
Answer by usaforklift
Poetic Form: Blues Poem
One of the most popular forms of American poetry, the blues poem stems from the African American oral tradition and the musical tradition of the blues. A blues poem typically takes on themes such as struggle, despair, and sex. It often (but not necessarily) follows a form, in which a statement is made in the first line, a variation is given in the second line, and an ironic alternative is declared in the third line.
African-American writer Ralph Ellison said that although the blues are often about struggle and depression, they are also full of determination to overcome difficulty “through sheer toughness of spirit.” This resilience in the face of hardship is one of the hallmarks of the blues poem.
Some of the great blues poets include Sterling A. Brown, James Weldon Johnson, and Langston Hughes. The title poem of Hughes’ first book, The Weary Blues, is also an excellent example of a blues poem. It begins:
“Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,
Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,
I heard a Negro play.
Down on Lenox Avenue the other night
By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light
He did a lazy sway . . . “Another example is Brown’s poem “Riverbank Blues,” which begins:
“A man git his feet set in a sticky mudbank,
A man git dis yellow water in his blood,
No need for hopin’, no need for doin’,
Muddy streams keep him fixed for good.”Contemporary poet Kevin Young is continuing the tradition; his most recent book, Jelly Roll, is a collection that draws heavily on the blues tradition. Young is the editor of the recent anthology, Blues Poems.
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Write an Instant “Writer’s Affirmation” Poem
Method:
Line 1 I am creative
Line 2 I value
Line 3 I write
Line 4 I trust
Line 5 I honor
Line 6 I give voice to
Line 7 I give voice to
Line 8 I am
Line 9 I make
Line 10 I hold
Line 11 I am safe writing on the page
Line 12 I make my home a place to write
Sample: I am creative
I value the artist in me
I write what’s in my heart and head
I trust the nature of my truth
I honor my kind audience
I give voice to what haunts
I give voice to what heals
I am open to inspiration
I make a place for creative expression
I hold the outcome in high esteem
I am safe writing on the page
I make my home a place to write
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
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