True or False List Poem

Our Host

Denise Krebs is a retired teacher after 30 years in the classroom. She spends her days  on the lookout for the good in people and the world. Some days it’s harder than others. She lives with her husband in the Mojave desert. She is a grandma of one, and her daughter is working on number two as we speak. This year Denise is writing a poem a day for the Stafford Challenge. She blogs at Dare to Care.

Inspiration 

Dean Young is a surrealist poet who wrote “True/False” in 2006. I ran across part of his poem in this True/False post on Poetry Foundation when I was looking for a poem about jury duty. (Go figure!). 

His number 5 statement was “I like jury duty.” Is that true or false? Does he like jury duty? We aren’t sure–we just know it is either true or false. He wrote 100 items and did not disclose which were true and which were false. We can do the same. What True and False statements would you write?

If you aren’t feeling true and falsy today, here’s another possibility for a list poem. With a simple title of “How to Make an Empty Cardboard Box Disappear in 10 Steps,” Clint Smith wrote a surprising and grim list poem:

Clint Smith’s poem is from the collection Counting Descent (Page 52)

You can watch Clint Smith talk about writing poetry and the teacher whose comment inspired him to become a writer.

Process

1. Write a numbered list of True/False statements in the style of Dean Young.

OR

2. Surprise your readers with a list of “How to _____ in 10 Steps” like Clint Smith did.

OR

3. Write a list or catalog poem of any kind, numbered or not numbered.
   • Each item in your list can be a full line, a phrase or even a singular word and on any topic–shopping, desires, make-believe creatures, seasons of life, inventory of a drawer, family members, foods, locations, students, etc., etc.
4. However you write your list poem, choose a title to do some work in your poem. 
5. As always, write whatever you want today–in list or no list format! 

Denise’s Poem

True/False

By Denise Krebs
After Dean Young

1. I am much younger inside than I appear.
2. Jury duty is for the birds.
3. Ishmael is also a son of Abraham.
4. Guns have no constructive purpose.
5. The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
6. The day you eat it your eyes will be open.
7. I don’t need a reason.
8. There is chaos in spilled milk.
9. You can have too much storage space.
10. That tiny silver sliver in the sky is still full.
11. The computer in my pocket rules the day.
12. Dean Young was an ordinary poet.

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.