“So, first, make a list of occasions that you could write poems for. This list creates structure, and it also alerts you to continue looking for occasions. Now, of course, write a few. Stay with your senses, with what is. Maybe settle down a bit first. Take a slow walk, pick up three stones you like as you go. Turn each one over in the palm of your hand. Okay, six lines, go.” (Natalie Goldberg, The True Secret of Writing)
Writing Exercise: The Object Poem—Holding Memory in Your Hands
Natalie Goldberg’s passage emphasizes sensory immersion, structured spontaneity, and physical interaction with objects as gateways into poetic expression. This exercise will guide you in crafting a poem that emerges from direct experience, using touch and observation to root your language in the physical world.
Key Writing Practice Development Techniques:
1. Sensory Precision & Physicality – Staying with “what is” means engaging deeply with texture, weight, temperature, movement. A poem grounded in the senses resonates more powerfully than one relying on abstraction.
2. Structured Generativity – Creating a list of potential poetic occasions, as Goldberg suggests, provides a framework that sparks rather than limits inspiration.
3. Writing as Immediate Response – Her six-line challenge highlights the value of writing quickly, without overthinking, allowing for surprising connections and raw authenticity.
500-Word Writing Prompt:
“Turning the Object Over: A Poem in Three Touches”
Take a slow, deliberate walk—inside or outside. As you walk, pick up three small objects that catch your attention. They could be natural (a smooth stone, a dried leaf) or man-made (a lost button, a torn ticket stub). Hold each one in your hand for a moment. Notice its weight, texture, any markings or imperfections. Turn it over. What do you feel? What does it remind you of? What impulse—an image, a memory, a phrase—arises?
Now, write a poem in three stanzas, each one inspired by a different object. Your poem should explore the following:
1. First Touch – Describe the object as it is, using only sensory detail (sight, touch, smell, even taste or sound if relevant). Avoid metaphor in this stanza. Let the object exist fully in its physical form.
2. Second Touch – Let the object trigger a shift in perception. Does it remind you of a place, a person, a moment? This stanza can introduce memory, association, or a change in mood.
3. Third Touch – A discovery. Something unexpected. What does this object reveal to you now that you’ve spent time with it? This could be an insight, a contradiction, a surprise, or even a question the object leaves unanswered.
You don’t need to force a “meaning” onto the object—simply follow its trail. Write freely, staying close to sensory experience. Experiment with line breaks, rhythm, and breath.
Evaluation Criteria for a Strong Poem:
• Sensory Immersion: The reader should feel the object as if they are holding it themselves.
• Economy of Language: Every word should earn its place. The strongest responses will be concise yet evocative, avoiding unnecessary explanation.
• Natural Evolution: The poem should move organically from physical detail to reflection to discovery, rather than forcing a conclusion.
• Element of Surprise: Whether through a shift in image, an unexpected emotional turn, or a striking final line, the poem should contain something unexpected.
Weak Example:
“I pick up a stone / It is gray and small / It reminds me of my childhood / I put it in my pocket and walk on.”
(This stays too surface-level, lacks sensory depth, and forces an uninspired connection.)
Strong Example:
“The stone is the size of my thumb,
cold as breath on glass. I turn it over—
one side smooth, the other split,
as if it once belonged to something larger.
It fits in my palm like the echo
of my mother’s voice before she left,
a weight too small to matter,
too heavy to put down.”
(This poem stays grounded in the senses but lets the object open an emotional landscape.)
Follow-Up Questions for Workshopping & Revision:
1. Does the first stanza create a vivid, tactile experience for the reader? Can the details be sharpened?
2. Does the second stanza introduce an interesting shift in perception or association?
3. Does the third stanza provide a discovery, question, or surprising turn?
4. Are the line breaks and rhythm enhancing the poem’s effect? Could they be adjusted for stronger pacing or impact?
Recommended Reading:
• “The Pebble” by Zbigniew Herbert – A stunning example of how an object’s physical reality can be enough to shape an entire poem.
• “The Blue Bowl” by Jane Kenyon – A poem that moves from the everyday handling of an object to something deeply emotional.
• “Black Stone Lying on a White Stone” by César Vallejo – A powerful meditation on a simple object that takes on existential weight.
This exercise should take two hours: 30 minutes to gather objects and observe, 60 minutes to write, and 30 minutes for revision and refinement. Let the object guide you—poetry begins in the palm of your hand.
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