Hello, Poetry Friend
Sometimes I write ads for magazines. A business buys the space, and I help them put together the words. In early 2021 I was writing an ad for a car repair shop. The man was super excited about his ad. He wanted me to write something that communicated his gratitude for how his customers had stuck with him through the worst days of the pandemic.
“Do you know about the phoenix?” he asked me.
“The myth?” I asked.
“Yeah, like with the pandemic … coming out of this thing … like out of the ashes?” he said.
“Yes, I can work with that,” I told him.
He exhaled, relieved. But he still had a question: “Do you think people will know about the phoenix?”
“Don’t worry,” I said, “it’s in Harry Potter.”
And so a car repair ad included a reference to Greek mythology. The man was happy, and so was I.
Myths have been around for thousands of years. A lot of them, like the phoenix, have made their way into our songs and our stories. It’s fine to add them into your own poems. In fact, because they’re so familiar, they carry a lot of weight. The two-syllable word “phoenix” soars with meaning.
Poetry Journal
We don’t have a poem this week, so think about myths you have known. If you’re a little fuzzy on the details, check out one of Rick Riordan’s middle-grade books, like the Percy Jackson series.
Once you’ve chosen your myth, jot down what you notice, what you like, what you don’t, what questions you have, and at least one way in which it might become a poem.
What does this myth have to say to you that speaks to your own life?
Write your own poem (or an ad!) about a myth. If you like, email me what you write.
Take care, Megan
Inspired!