Ariel Gordon's How-to Poetry

After our last class I felt particularly drawn to Ariel Gordon's work after Kevin pointed out that my poem "Life Hack #1" was reminiscent of her work. I also compiled and designed an anthology in class last year entitled "How to Poet," so I feel like my path was meant to cross over hers.

I found this article of hers insanely inspiring: http://49thshelf.com/Blog/2014/07/31/Behind-the-Poem-Ariel-Gordon-and-the-How-To-Poems

And this poem in the article really caught my attention, so much so that I may consider attempting another Life Hack poem. I've been googling "life hacks" for inspiration. That plus the following poem are definitely nudging me in the right direction.

How to Write a Poem

—Ariel Gordon 

Write about what terrifies you but, um, wait until mum or dad is dead to do it. For the family’s sake...

Take all the punctuation out of your poem

Your lover should be your first reader & your subject, but know this: having good sex is hard. Writing good sex is harder. Believing someone who just had their head between your legs—even if they’re a hardcore critic—impossible.

No one needs your next poem.

(Everyone needs your next goddamn poem.)

If writing rhyming poetry about God from jail, realize you’ve hit the trifecta. Celebrate by centering everything on the hard drive that’s not porn.

capital letters are for suckers. seersuckers. sapsuckers.

Also, use the page. Engage the ear. Allude to classical texts, sneak in a few impeccable pop culture references. Break the line. Break a leg.

Have a firm grasp of grammar & syntax but also have something on the side with the fragment. Form should follow content but, hopefully, not breathing heavily.

Put the punctuation back in.


Don’t write poems about writing poems.


What I particularly like about this poem is the randomness of it. The line "No on needs your next poem" made me laugh out loud. Sometimes, as a writer, I feel the urge to turn a good poem into a collection, but sometimes it falls flat and the work that follows it never lives up to my expectations, just like most movie sequels. Although that line seems ridiculous, I found some truth in it. The second line worth admiring is the final line. It's cheeky and cute and the perfect way to wrap up this poem.