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Sloane Henry
Mr. David Thacker
ENC 1101
21 October 2014

Process Memo
When writing all four poems I really made an effort to keep in mind and
include the different aspects of writing poetry that we learned in class. For example
I tried to include as much sensory detail and tried to convey tone in every poem, as
well as many more things, those just being two examples. I also kept in mind the
type of poem I was writing, whether it was a sonnet and the rhyme scheme had to
match exactly or weather it was the memory poem and we could write in any format
that fit with our poem.
The first poem I wrote was Fall Festivities. This was the sonnet poem,
meaning I had to follow a specific rhyme scheme. When I first started to write this
poem I had a very difficult time thinking about how to start it/ what to write it
about. After a while of brainstorming I decided to write it about the season fall as it
was currently approaching. Also when I sat down to write this poem I noticed a
pumpkin candle sitting on the counter top and so I guess you could say I got
inspired. Writing poems are never easy for me, let alone writing a sonnet, because of
the mere fact sonnets have to rhyme in the specific abab cdcd efef gg format. But
once I got started the ideas just kind of came to me and then following those ideas I
finally knew what I wanted to say. I included words that specifically rhymed
together. For example I used words such as year and fear and calling and falling.
I used rhyme in my poem as a way to create a sense of continuity throughout the
poem. Rhyme is a strategy that allows the poem to flow and by including it in my
poem I hope to have accomplished that. Rhyme is very difficult to do and it takes
time to successfully achieve that sense of continuity but if done correctly it can be
very effective. I tried very hard to include sensory details such as canvas the door

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and circling the scarecrows. I used these certain sense details as a way to creative
an image in my readers mind. With these words hopefully they will be able to see
the poem rather than just read it. I also used active verbs instead of passive verbs to
engage my readers more. Active verbs such as the wind blows, running, and
circling. This too makes the reader feel more inside the poem instead of just an
outsider looking in. I also included a tone change in this poem because I felt like
ending it with a darkish tone would symbolize fall changing to winter, which is also
a harsh change. When I started the poem there was a happy and excited tone for fall
to arrive and the leaves to change. But after thanksgiving arrives fall is pretty much
over and winter hits. Thats exactly where in my poem I included the change. I
wanted the reader to be able to relate to that change.
The second poem I wrote was the concrete object poem, titled Waiting for
Harvest. Unlike the previous poem I found this poem a little bit easier to write, once
that is, I discovered a concrete object to write about. After reading the examples you
provided us with I thought it was best to write about a piece of food because you can
use your five senses to go into depth and describe them the best. I absolutely love
fruit and thought it would be fun if I wrote a poem on peaches. A peach is a very
textured piece of fruit and is sweet and juicy and I made sure to include all of those
descriptive words in my poem. I didnt say in the actual poem itself, until the last
few lines what piece of fruit I was describing, I thought it would be more interesting
to leave that until the end and provide the reader with room for imagination. At first
the title of my poem was Sweet Peach but then I changed it to Waiting for
Harvest. I felt that this was a more fitting title for this poem because although the
poem as a whole is about a sweet peach it discusses more the different ways a peach
can be used after it is harvested. Also that way the title does not give away the fruit I
am writing about until the very end. When writing this poem I once again, used
active verbs such as cascades, ripped, dangles, and tossed as opposed to passive
verbs to engage the reader. I made a point of going through our five senses to make
sure I included a descriptive word about each one when describing the object. I
Incorporated more than just description of the actual object itself, I went further

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and talked about the fruits different destinies. When people go visit orchards
especially in Georgia they harvest the peaches themselves and they make peach ice
cream or doughnuts and they all taste somewhat different. I touched on different
types of food a peach can be made into to add more depth and change it up a bit.
Finally, I used the most concrete description in this poem. Each line I tried to
incorporate a word whether it was fuzzy or churned or cascade, I tried to make sure
every line and stanza had a few of those concrete words that we learned would
enhance our poetry.
The third poem I wrote, titled The Necklace, is the memory poem.
This poem was by far the hardest for two reasons. One it was hard to understand
the concept of having to travel back in time and write about two memories at once.
And also there was absolutely no format we had to follow which in a way made it
more difficult because there were no concrete guidelines. I wrote about a necklace
that my mom wears everyday and it has a very distinct sound so anyone can literally
hear when she is coming. She never takes it off and over the years I have begun to
identify that certain noise with her presence. Like I said in the poem I heard a
similar noise to the necklace coming from the hall so it made me think of my mom
and her necklace. The tone of this poem I would say is different from the other
poems. I would say this tone is a bit sadder of a tone because of the last few lines.
As much as I wish, it cant be her necklace making that noise. I am a thousand miles
from her; I roll over and tune it out. The words I chose convey a tone of wishful
thinking, something that I do not incorporate in my other poems. I wrote it to
change it up from all my other poems that are more upbeat and exciting. I also
switched back in time to describe the memory. I used the single line almost likebut it couldnt be true- as the line that transported me back. I wrote that line
specifically to sound like I was interrupting myself and going back in time to think of
a previous memory. I made it seem that the sound of the chains clinking were
powerful enough to bring me back to a memory of my mothers necklace making a
similar noise. I tried to use words like echo, faint noise and footsteps to convey that
tone of mystery. Kind of like a game to figure out what the noise truly is and what it

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is coming from. I then ended the poem in a tone of disappointment. I was
disappointed it wasnt my moms necklace because I havent seen her in a long time,
so I rolled over and tuned it out because I didnt want to hear the tease of the
necklace.
The final poem was the poem inspired by a painting. I wrote about The
Swing by Jean-Honore Fragonard. I learned about his poem last year in my
European history class so I thought I would interpret it in my own way now and
reflect on it through means of poetry. I depicted the painting in my poem as the girl
flirting with the two boys who are pushing her back and forth in the swing. She is
royalty and the two boys represent her fathers servants. She is teasing them with
the little skin she is showing under her dress. I used those concrete details like
soaring, emerging, snaking, and giggles to convey images of her in the swing. These
words are also active verbs as well so they allow the reader to clearly see the girl
swinging in the trees, without necessarily having to the picture to look at. I created
the tone of argument between the boys as a way to show how important and proper
this girl is. I gathered that information by the way she is dressed in her pink gown
of a dress and is mixed it with other shades of blue and greens so she is destined to
stand out for sure. I took advice from the peer grading we did in class and went into
depth about what the girl is trying to accomplish in this picture. I interpreted it
though as if she had no agenda she was just having a fun time teasing the servant
boys because she knew she could get away with it. At the same time this girl strives
to be something more in life but for now just soars with high hopes.
Writing all four poems was a little bit more challenging than anyone could
imagine. When writing these poems you had to do more than just write, you had to
make a point of incorporating all the different aspects of poetry we learned in class.
Overall, I think I used a good variety of sensory details as well as those active words.
I used different tones so all together my poetry packet does not sound the exact
same. I took a lot of the peer advice given to me in class when it came to revising my

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poems; I went into further details in some areas and changed the rhetorical devices I
used in others.