Hello, Poetry Friend
Anything can become a poem. Even an ad.
My friend, author, editor, and columnist, Anna Mitchael, read a Dillard’s department store ad for a tunic sale. It became a poem she shared on Instagram about motherhood and growing older. Her poem connects the generation that came before her with the generation coming after.
The reason this poem works is that the poet knows and articulates exactly what a tunic means to her. (In the comments, Anna said the tunics were going fast!) For her, tunics come with expectations of what a woman becomes, whether she wants to or not. The poem concludes with her considering what clothing item might take the place of a tunic when she grows old.
The poem is also funny. It has a moment when the poet laughs with other women around a table — “But we’d never!”— even as they have become the stereotypical middle-aged moms they probably once derided, right down to the Sauvignon Blanc.
Poetry Journal
Read the poem about the tunics and the yoga pants. Read it a second time, aloud.
Jot down what you notice, what you like, what you don’t, what questions you have, and at least one way in which the poem speaks to your soul.
Chose an ad—any ad (newspaper, Amazon, TV/streaming service, Substack sign-up). Pay attention to what the product symbolizes for you.
Write your own poem from an ad. And have some fun with it. Not every poem has to be serious to be meaningful. If you like, email me what you write.
Take care, Megan