We have reached the end of sex stories. For now, at least.

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I really enjoyed doing this collage, especially after what felt like a lot of disorder in the previous ones (in this sex series). In contrast, this one is more focused and the black and white arrangement is easy on the eye.
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I spent this week arranging my poetry thesis, and basically deciding that many are not (in my opinion) meant to be read singularly. They stand better alongside company than on their own. I am fine with this, being a nonfiction writer by nature. By which I mean, I tell stories—and the poems and small prose pieces in my thesis add up to a story.

Well, today’s “picture-poem” is much more of a stand-alone type poem, which are much more difficult for me. So, here is a prompt for making a poem that relies on itself.

PROMPT

First rule: use one piece of color/pattern from a magazine for your background. The size you cut will determine the arrangement of your lines.

Second rule: cut very clean lines/words out. All should be generally the same size/shape.

Advice: as usual, I recommend mining only one page or article for the words you will use. More is simply overwhelming. If, as you finish, you find yourself desperate for a particular word you can’t find, create the word from individual letters OR feel free to spend an hour flipping through your magazine until you find it… but for now, just mine one page.

Suggestion: start with a title and go from there. Scan your magazine page and choose a phrase  you can build on. Place it at the top of your page. Scan the page again and choose another phrase or word. Place it under the title. Repeat until you are done.

Direction: arrange the lines and words and phrases into a pleasing pattern on your page.

Clarification: yes, the words you choose are important, but the way the finished page looks is just as important. Please, play with the lines. Scatter and break your language to fit the background you chose. Do not glue anything off the background.