My foray into the world of free verse poetry was quite refreshing. It was the first time I had been exposed to poetry since I took AP Literature in high school. I felt I was able to look at the broader genre of poetry from a brand new perspective. Through free verse, I found an appreciation for it that I did not previously have. The thing I liked the most about free verse poetry was the freedom. The ability to write a poem outside of conventional structures and rules was awesome. I must admit that the rules of poetry was something that drove me away from it in the past. This creative license was fresh and something that I could see myself dabbling in. 

    The final product that I am envisioning after researching the genre is different from my original ideas in a couple ways. I do not think I put enough emphasis on imagery in my sketch draft. Moreover, after reading through many different free verse samples I found vivid imagery to be a pretty common element across the genre. I also think that the framework I used as the basis for my poem would lend itself brilliantly to such language. Additionally,  I think my initial thoughts on length were too short. I read poems of varying length and resonated most with the longer ones. I felt they took the most advantage of the freedom provided by the genre. Continuing in that vein, I enjoyed the poems that had longer lines. The initial lines I wrote were rather short. I believe this was part of what restricted the imagery that I was able to convey within my sketch draft. 

    My origin piece gave me the initial idea I based my poem on. I lifted the overarching metaphors and left the rest. The most obvious things I left behind in my origin piece were rigid formal structure and audience. My origin piece is an application essay and thus adheres to a set of guidelines. In addition, I wrote the essay with the conventional rules of writing in the back of my mind. When shifting to a poem I no longer was compelled to worry about these conventions. The biggest departure from my origin piece may have been audience. The audience of my origin piece was limited to the University of Michigan Honors Program office. Whereas, the audience of my free verse poem was anyone who enjoys reading unique poems from lesser known (or unknown in my case) poets. Therefore, I didn’t just shift the nature of my audience but likely the size of it as well. 

    I see the poem I anticipated writing being published in a coffee table book of poems from various authors. I do not see myself getting into any major poetry publications. However, a book that is occasionally flipped through and acts as a conversation piece seems right at home for my poem. I could see the metaphors of my poem sparking a discussion among friends and family as they relax around their fireplace. 

    Overall, I really enjoyed this first experiment. I did not know how I would feel dissecting a piece I am so partial to. It turned out to be quite enjoyable and allowed me to see my origin piece in a whole new light.