Recently, I discovered that a tactic I used to fulfill an assignment while in graduate school has a name: an erasure poem.
It’s been around since the eighteenth century, but initially, the text of other authors was used to create an erasure poem.
Today, memoirists work with their own writing as source material and then strip it down, refresh it, and transform it into something new.
That’s your task today. Choose an older piece of writing, print it out, grab a dark marker, and cross out all nonessential words until only the core remains.
It may feel awkward at first, but there’s a lot to learn from this type of exercise.
Share what you created with us, and tell us whether you enjoyed this process and what it taught you. Here’s my erasure poem from 1998.
But whether you comma or not, always remember: The only way to do this wrong is to not do it at all!
I loved your poem Patricia. Very vivid and touching. The ending was sad but true.
Judy, I agree with your comment. I am saddened, but also happy that the previous haven was recorded so that someone, somewhere, (us?) will know what it was like before it was gone.
This was a challenge. I tried it with a couple of short fiction stories but it didn’t work for me. Then I turned to short memoir pieces and found one that worked a little better. It was a fun exercise, and something I’d never heard or thought about. Thank you, Patricia! Ash Wednesday, February 14th, 2024 Today is Ash Wednesday. Also, Valentine’s Day. Today is mourning, humility, and grief. Also, chocolate, hearts, and flowers Today is Valentine’s Day. Also, my sister’s birthday. There will be no heart-shaped cake. I miss her. She gave me friendship, guidance, and heart-shaped earrings. Also,… Read more »
Terry, I love this one. I know you are already a poet – the way you put words together. It is touching and sad but you triumph!
Thank you, Kit!
I enjoyed this episode! So I kinda cheated with this. When we were writing the 75-word micro memoirs, I was desperately editing to get the story down to the required word count. When I was done, I had an epiphany: the result looked and sounded more like a poem than prose. I played with it a bit and saved it. This morning, I dug it out, made a few more changes, and now have an Erasure Poem. This is a cool exercise, especially for us non-poets who want to write poems. I admire those people who can write poems and… Read more »
I remember that micro memoir. You’ve done a fabulous job with it. Exposing the core in a lovely way.
Dave, you are a poet, never doubt it. This is harsh, vivid, and utterly honest. The final two lines fall like a hammer striking. Thank you for sharing