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Thursday, February 29, 2024

persona-ble

Greetings, all, and welcome to March (a favored month of mine).  We kick it off, we Inklings, by writing persona poems with Margaret Simon, whose challenge read "A persona poem has a specific audience, conveys a message, is written in the voice of another person, place, or thing, uses direct address. A great sample poem is “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes."

I'm double dipping for this one, because during the recently concluded February Poetry Project hosted by Laura Shovan (the theme this year was Games), we enjoyed a prompt provided by Margaret herself that included cards from a game she plays with students called Picwits. We each selected one of the cards and one of the photos and wrote to that combination. I stepped into the halo of this angel:


Angel to God


Oh Lord—


Every day, seven days a week

(no rest for me on the seventh day),

I put on my wings 

and leave the house.

It’s like any other job–

there are days you look forward to,

and days you’d rather be elsewhere, 

doing something else entirely,


doing nothing.


That’s my aim, my angle–

to earn a sabbath, just one day 

of angel’s rest 

now and then,

a day when I can 

lie barebacked in a hammock  made of angel hair (it really is 

feather-light), saving no one,

doing nothing.


draft ©HM 2024




That was fun, and good practice too, because I hope to be doing a mask and persona poem project with 6th graders in April, at the old middle school of both my kids.

Go here to find the personas inhabited by the other Inklings, and thanks to Linda at TeacherDance for leading the March into Spring. I hope she's not snowed under...

Catherine @ Reading to the Core

Molly Hogan @ Nix the Comfort Zone

Linda Mitchell @ A Word Edgewise

Margaret Simon @ Reflections on the Teche

Mary Lee @ (A)nother Year of Reading



10 comments:

  1. Even angels have their needs, Heidi. Your sympathy shines through! I'm loving all these persona poems, and hope you will post some from those students! I love "That’s my aim, my angle–" Happy March!

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  2. Clever Heidi. I love the layout of that line 'doing nothing', saying so much.

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  3. I adore this angel with an angle...what a great perspective. Busy angels need a break too!
    Wonderful persona poem.

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  4. Aah, we all need that time for rest, don't we? Marvelous, Heidi!

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  5. I guess everyone needs a rest from time to time, even angels. Thanks for sharing this unique perspective.

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  6. I enjoyed your Angel's voice when first read and again here. Yes, give the Angel a rest! I can totally relate, being self-employed brakes are rare, great Point of View, thanks Heidi.

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  7. Heidi, what a sweet angel you have created. I have never thought that they might not get a day off, but hopefully they will after this entreaty. I like the repetition and stand-aloneness of that last line, "doing nothing" Yes, everyone needs this. And I love the line, "That's my aim, my angle.--"

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  8. Another great combination of two prompts! I'm loving how these persona poems offer up different perspectives!

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  9. Love thinking about an angel "earning a sabbath." Thanks for sharing.

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Thanks for joining in the wild rumpus!