Poetry club takes place every Friday during A block of 8th period. Each week the officers chose a new type of poem, rhyme scheme, or prompt which the students then follow. One Friday they chose Ekphrasis poetry, a style of creative writing where you choose a piece of art and describe it with vivid imagery.
“Usually I pick a topic and write about it, and focus on the rhyme scheme. This poem is more structured and feels more artistic in a way,” freshman Ruth Berhe said. “It’s like a prompt where you don’t have to do a lot of coming up with your own ideas and can just describe what the art feels like to you.”
The descriptive nature of this type of poetry allows people to let loose in a way, instead of focusing on a strict rhyme scheme, or prompt, people can simply interpret art in their own fashion. Many Ekphrasis poems rely on imagery, and push the readers to feel what an art piece is conveying. This allows both experienced and new writers to explore their thoughts and feelings in a way completely up to them, without the restrictions that certain types of poems enlist.
“[Ekphrasis poetry] reflects the visuals, colors and scenery [of artwork], putting it into words and rhymes,” Berhe said. “It’s very interesting, especially if you don’t have much experience with poetry, because it’s like a middle ground [between art and writing].”
Tying together visual art and poetry, as well as multiple artists’ work, lures many towards this type of poetry. However, these poems are also often overlooked when writers search for poetry prompts.
“It’s a very creative way to think about something that has already been created,” junior Sohana Sahl said.
Not only does it encourage readers and writers to think deeper into an art piece, it also allows you to wonder and make connections as to why someone created something the way they did, and the message they wished to convey. Ekphrasis poetry is a gate for many who wish to further explore art, which can most always be interpreted in many unique ways.
“Usually we focus on forms of poetry where you have a specific rhyme scheme or measure and it’s less strict about what’s in it conceptually, but with this it’s completely about what you’re writing about, and how you want to interpret it is up to you” Sahl said.