Echoes from the Past

Our host

Erica Johnson lives in the suburbs of Little Rock, Arkansas while teaching in the rural town of Vilonia.  She has dedicated a dozen years to helping juniors and seniors earn college credit for English.  Erica is currently improving her teaching game by attending Arkansas Leadership Academy.  This decision came out of the work she does as part of the writing community called Teach Write and the Teach Write Academy.  Erica spends her non-writing time in the company of her “grumpy old man” dog, Cooper, or setting new personal records at her local Crossfit gym.

Inspiration 

When my students were studying poetry I shared with them the best tip for understanding poetry: writing.  I wanted to bring something relevant back to them, which was when I rediscovered the echo sonnet prompt from Glenda Funk right here on Ethical ELA. 

I thought it would be more than appropriate to not only pull a poem from a previous AP exam, but instead of the usual analytical essay, I tasked them with writing a poem instead. We engaged in a week of work with the sonnet form in order to better understand poetry as a whole.

Process

The sonnet has been visited by poets countless times, to the point where to write one is to engage in a conversation with the past.   Robert Pack’s sonnet “To An Empty Page” takes that idea a step further – creating a form that relies on the structure of the sonnet and a one word echo.

My process in writing an echo sonnet was similar. I found myself conversing with a mythological figure and meanwhile, when my students tackled the prompt, they wrote to their future selves, their past selves, and even historical figures and events!

What conversation will you have with your sonnet?  Who or what do you need to speak with?  What thoughts will your sonnet echo back to you?

As I told my students, don’t worry too much about the traditional sonnet structure; focus instead on keeping it to a brief conversation of 14 lines between yourself and an “echo” of your choice. 

Erica’s Poem

To an Echo by Erica Johnson

Since Shakespeare first penned to present the question is posed: (Behold)
How does one show love to another? (Smother)
No, I’m seeking a means that is less opposed. (Bold)
Exactly! A sign of love that is warm as summer. (Shudder)

Oh come now that simile wasn’t that bad. (Bad)
But that’s the thing all the love songs have been written. (Smitten)
What more can I say about love, what can I add? (Add)
Frankly, the topic of love puts me in an awkward position! (Listen)

What could an Echo possibly know! (Oh)
I’m sorry that was harsh, I shouldn’t have shout. (Out)
But the last love of your life actually drowned ages ago. ( )
No response for that one? You don’t have to pout. (Doubt)

I guess love has always been complicated for all. (All)
We’ll keep writing sonnets until we find love or bawl. (Bawl)

Your Turn

Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe.