The form of She/He/They
Thanks to the Star Wars franchise, I can’t hear the word metaphor anymore without thinking, “Metaphors Be With You.”
And, really, they are with you, and you, and you. They are everywhere. What better way to punch up a sentence than working in a little comparison to add that extra depth of meaning and connection?
We even surround our people with metaphors. Juliet was compared to a rose. The underdog is a diamond in the rough (even the word underdog has a metaphorical connotation).
One could argue that metaphors are also at the heart of poetry so, see, maybe you didn’t realize how poetic you were every day?
To play with this a bit, let me introduce you to some of the forms of poetry that really connect to people. Because it was that thought of a person or a character that brought you here, right? You are also still welcome if you arrived here by other means, of course!
The Sonnet may make many of you immediately think of Shakespeare. I know I still do! Sonnets are traditionally poems about love and/or those that we love. They harken back to the age of troubadours so if you are musically inclined this might be an interesting form to explore. Want to really challenge yourself with the sonnet form? Check out those who work on a full Crown of Sonnets.
Odes are another poetic form with very classical (and musical) roots. I like how odes often set up an argument or contain moments that create a bit of tension through contrast and/or comparison. Want something a bit more contemporary? You can listen to Lucille Clifton read her ode homage to my hips.
The original Arabic form of the Ghazal is often about love, in all its permutations, but the Ghazal also has a lot of other unique features such as the inclusion of references to the author themselves. As with many of these other “person” leaning forms, the Ghazal has musical roots although that doesn’t always translate when written in English (pun intended). For a contemporary example try Red Ghazal (audio and text available) by Aimee Nezhukumatathi.
Now, you may not be inspired to write in these actual forms and that is totally OK! But thinking about the different ways that you can work in poetic phrasing or descriptive language when working with your people can truly enrich your reader’s experience of these individuals (real or imagined) that you wanted us to meet.
Not feeling the poetry angle or ready to move on with your newly created bits of poems or poetic prose? Try these:
10 - Do you want to play a bit more with metaphor? Extend it?
11 - Could you now question your developing character or an image related to them?
22 - Some poems (or poetic writing) lend themselves to narrative. Did yours? Maybe you are ready to think more about a plot?
25 - Want to try some other poetic forms?