13 Writing the Body: Mind/Brain Persona Poem – Writing Exercise
Authors: Anastacia-Reneé, Teri Ellen Cross Davis, Shauna M. Morgan
Target Group: High School, Undergraduate
Poem:
Nandi Comer, “Why I Don’t Call On Cops” (Furious Flower 2019, pp. 289-290)
Description:
This generative writing exercise asks students/writers to read Nandi Comer’s poem “Why I Don’t Call on Cops” then write a poem personifying a body part. The poem can be in direct conversation with Comer’s poem and/or focus on the brain/mind, or the poem can focus on the various networks or bodily functions the brain controls, i.e. heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure.
Learning Objectives:
Students will hone their analytical skills by engaging, interrogating, and examining Nandi Comer’s poem “Why I Don’t Call on Cops’” to deepen their level of observation and comprehension. Using the poem as a foundation and inspiration, students will create one original poem and expand their use of poetic devices, specifically focusing on personification of the body.
Instructions:
- Read “Why I Don’t Call on Cops” and note your first impressions of the poem.
- Identify all the places where the mind/brain appear or are referenced.
- Draft your own poem considering the following questions:
- What would the brain say?
- What does the brain seek?
- When does it rest and when is it most active?
- How would the brain perceive itself?
Supplemental Activities:
- Listen to “My Mind Playing Tricks on Me” by Geto Boys and explore connections with the poem.
- Have students spend three minutes exploring and thinking about their brain/mind.
- Review the anatomy of the brain.
- Read in more detail about the brain and how it works.
- Review what a persona poem is and read this essay on persona poems by Rebecca Hazelton.
