Poetry exercise: Sound Complements

Poetry exercise: Sound
Complements

1. Make four lists of
   words down a page – including five each for a column of
   • adjectives
   • adverbs
   • nouns
   • verbs

But make sure each word describes a characteristic or behavior you
would NOT normally associate with yourself.

Circle those that most interest or intrigue you.

2. Now, look for other
words that have similar vowels or consonants to the key words you circled.
(Don’t worry about whether you think these words “fit” those of you original
list for now.)

3. Next, test out a few
lines that use these words to envision yourself acting, wearing or doing
something that is not normally how you envision yourself. (Remember that you
don’t have to even be the same gender!)

4. Write a poem of 10-15
lines that pays attention to sound that describes this new “Not-You.”