Creative Writing Exercise: Riddle Poem
This assignment is designed to provide an accessible springboard for newcomers to poetry. The assignment offers a tangible, playful first leap into writing a poem, paying close attention to imagery and details—two aspects of writing that will also inform writing prose later in the course.
The assignment asks that, in a contemporary voice, you write a riddle poem in the tradition of the Anglo-Saxon riddle poems we’ve read this week. Leave readers to guess the riddle’s answer.
The subject of the riddle is up to the poet. Is it a public figure? A celebrity? An object? An icon? A symbol? You? The choice is yours, so long as the riddle points toward your chosen subject. Likewise, the poem is open to your discretion: rhyme or no rhyme, poetic form or free verse, short or long lines, etc.
Keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Poem is a minimum of 10 lines in length
- Poem incorporates concrete details, including both metaphors and similes
- Poem incorporates use of sensory-rich imagery (all five senses)
- Poem includes at least one question
- Poem is single-spaced, uses Times New Roman, 12-point font, and has one-inch margins all around.
Answer preview:
word limit:194