It is true, sometimes I start a poem for this book and discard it. The only thing that inspired me about the original draft of #25 was the color I’d mixed on a paint palette.

Failed Draft
Final Page

So, I cut everything but the number and the color and went in a more narrative direction. As it turns out, I am pleased with the final page so I am also fine with the process.

Prompt

  1. Steal the title of this poem: “The world’s oldest hobby.”
  2. Brainstorm, using magazine clippings, on that title.
    • As you flip through a magazine, cut out any particular words or phrases you notice, in a word-association way or simply for their font/size/color.
    • I’d suggest no less than 5 and probably no more than 10.
  3. Create a narrative poem using those words in combination with your own handwritten words. Try not to think about the “story” too much. Let the process guide you.
  4. Pay attention to stanza breaks for this poem. Try to make 3 or 4 stanzas.
    stanza
  5. Write your poem on a clean lined sheet of paper, inserting (gluing down) the magazine words as you go.
  6. Add paint and/or images as you like.

BONUS: Kitchen Table Note

25-the-worlds-oldest-hobby-6

My youngest son and I play PICTIONARY, or our own strange version of it, quite a lot.

I am just saying, he is eleven-years-old. When he was a “baby” (he was 5), we recorded this ridiculous video of him trying to correctly name animals. He didn’t get even one animal right, but the video was kind of hilarious.

I am just saying. The animal on that pictionary board is fairly obvious. He got very excited when he saw it, recognizing it immediately, and shouted out ZEBRA.

I AM JUST SAYING.

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