My students know that they will get
an assignment, a personalized writing assignment, when
they least expect it.
There is no syllabus for this.
And I called a wild card, and I make
them do some pretty crazy things all
to try to shake them out of what they
imagine the right attitude is to approach writing a poem.
So they've written on oranges, they've
gone out in the middle of fields and howled,
and they've done all sorts of things.
And they usually hate me terribly
when I give it to them, but afterwards they
write some pretty amazing poems.
But they also said, well, do you do this to yourself?
And no, of course not.
So I said fair was fair.
I should give myself a wild card.
What I decided to do, of course, is a little odd
because you give yourself one, and you can kind of build
your own, but I decided that I would
write a poem in which each line began with the same letter.
I mean, well one line would begin with one letter,
and then you could switch on the next line.
So for instance in this poem it starts off
every word in the first line starts with an O,
every word in the second line starts with P,
and I did give myself some latitudes.
I could use any letter I wanted to start the next line,
but whatever was on that line had to start with that letter.
And that was the only thing that was my assignment.
I realized quickly that prepositions
were the problem, and then conjunctions,
but it was a sobering experience.
And so I thought I would read this to you.
I did mention that we've been dancing
and how strenuous it is, and I've been having a--
my right knee has been not behaving.
So this is my ode to my right knee.
Oh obstreperous one, ornery outside of ordinary protocols,
paramilitary probate par-excellence.
Every evidence you yield yells.
No noise too tough to tackle, tears
springing such sudden salt when walking wrenches.
Haranguer, hag, hanger-on, how much more maddening,
insidious imperfection?
Membranes matter-of-factly corroding,
crazed cartilage calmly chipping away as another arduous
ambulation begins.
Bone bruising bone.
Leathery Lothario, lone laboring gladiator,
grappling, groveling for favor.
Fair-weather forecaster, fickle friend, jive jiggy joint.
Kindly keep kicking.
[APPLAUSE]