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Personal "Running into a New Year" Poem

Prompt

  • You will write your own "new year" poem.
  • It must follow the form and structure of Cliffton's poem (1 stanza, 15 lines, no capitalization or punctuation - so essentially one continuous thought)
  • You must use at least 4 poetic elements (consecutive similes = 1, Line 3 & 5)
  • You can be more explicit than Cliffton or you can keep them more ambiguous. Keep in mind – what are your thoughts/feelings as you enter 2024?
  • Please list your additional 3 poetic elements (not simile) beneath your poem

Response

i am stepping into a new year
where college decisions flutter around
like leaves in a whirlwind
each a fragment of a future untold
whispering promises like
coded messages in lines of possibility
and it feels like standing
at the edge of a vast sea
the horizon dotted with what ifs and maybes
when i think of robotics my heart races
like a machine its gears turning
fast and relentless each challenge
a puzzle a joy a test of spirit
but as team captain i am the compass
guiding through storms and still waters alike

  • Personification: "college decisions flutter around like leaves in a whirlwind" and "whispering promises"
  • Metaphor: Comparing the uncertainty and potential of the future to "standing at the edge of a vast sea"
  • Imagery: Descriptions like "the horizon dotted with what ifs and maybes" and "guiding through storms and still waters"