PROMPT #5: First, pick a notation from the first column below.
Then, pick a musical genre from the second column. Finally, pick at least one word from the third column. Now write a poem that takes inspiration from your musical genre and notation, and uses the word or words you picked from the third column.
| “with a hint of frenzy” | power ballad | sharks |
| “the joy is gone” | jazz fantasia | nonsense |
| “smugly saying ‘yeah, I’m better than you’” | folk song | roses |
| “literally go nuts” | march | departures |
| “play terribly” | chamber music | bones |
| “deliciously” | symphony | infield |
| “about to burst” | aria | concrete |
| “crazy eyes here” | overture | butterflies |
| “fade out like my hairline” | interstitial | wool |
| “like you’ve been hit by an arrow” | muzak | vanilla |
| “louder than possible” | breakup anthem | vampire |
| “with contempt for imported convertible sports cars” | rumba | shadow |
| “like a naughty, naughty boy “ | waltz | monument |
| “lord have mercy” | outlaw country classic | clock |
| “improvisatory screaming” | death metal | moonlight |
| “tempo di murder” | novelty song | centaur |
| “as roughly as possible” | fugue | pool |
| “gradually becoming a disaster” | yacht rock | hollyhocks |
| “play like you are about to start crying” | tango | chain |
| “obliterate the choir” | hymn | banquet |
| “like 100 tin cans falling out of a Volvo” | dubstep | snow |
I’m off to Bermuda
While you’re up the creek!
I cruise like old money;
You float like a freak.
As you steer between rocks
In that vulgar canoe,
You’re a maritime nuisance
Obstructing the view.
My luxury vessel
Steers clear of the sharks;
You paddle and fulminate,
Studying Marx.
Your dugout is leaking;
I’m greasing the skids.
The dividends pay out
to bankroll my kids.
My profits accrue
While you seethe at your bosses.
You rail at the system—
I minimize losses.
I cruise into port.
Our hotel is reserved…
Your bitter resentment
is not unobserved.
Departures are blissful;
We glide into harbors
And dine amidst hollyhocks
Under the arbors.
The banquet is served:
An idyllic location—
But you merely murmur
In disapprobation.
So scratch my maid’s Tesla
(or blow up a dealership…)
Rattle your chains
While insulting my captainship.
I’m by the pool—
You can splash in your gutter.
I’ll leave you a tip
For some bread with your butter.
CONNECT/HOOK 