Poe-etry Writing Exercise

"From childhood's hour" what has been the demon in your view?

Okay, maybe you're a convert to "The Secret," or you were always a glass-half-full type of person. But I agree with Edgar Allan Poe. In childhood, we establish a point of view that's basically positive, negative or neutral, generally happy or sad.

In response to Poe's poem, "Alone," tell about the person or event that shaped your childhood point of view. Or, like Poe, create a metaphor that describes what haunted or encouraged you as a child.

Here is a triolet I wrote several years ago. In my mind, it touches on this subject -- even though the poem doesn't reveal the "demon."

Triolet: A Visit to the Doctor of Herbal Medicine She says, “You have the sadness in you.” She can see it in my dry, cracked hands. My skin is raw with sorrow, it is true what she says. “You have the sadness in you.” How can I hide it? Absence dries me through -- heart to knuckle-bones, I’m marked by its brands. She says, “You have the sadness in you.” She can see it in my dry, cracked hands. Published at Poets Online, Winter 2000

Want to know more about the triolet form? There's a good article here: http://www.webexhibits.org/poetry/explore_obscure_triolet_make.html