Poetry Prompt: Be a Picker!

---

In this disposable age - where new is king and old is considered garbage - TV shows like Market Warriors and Canadian Pickers remain hugely popular. Pickers travel the country, rummaging through barns and sheds filled with apparent junk, hunting for hidden treasures to restore and resell for profit.

Pickers, antique stores, and flea markets don’t flourish because someone desperately needs a two-by-four metal sign advertising motor oil, or a child’s three-wheeled tricycle. They flourish because one object can trigger a web of memories and emotions from a particular moment in a person’s life - or even from a bygone era they wish they had experienced.

I use the following exercise in my Writing for Fun creative writing workshops:

• Brainstorm a list of childhood toys and activities

• Compose a poem using only items from that list—no adjectives, similes, or metaphors

• Use short sentences and specific images to create a fast-paced, dynamic piece

This is my poem (inspired by Bill Manhire’s 1950’s):

---

1960’s
My paper dolls. My fish and chips
My Tiny Tears. My pick-up sticks
My invisible horse. My invisible friend
My den. My castle. Days without end.
Snakes and ladders. Etch-a-sketch
Sindy. Trolls. Dogs playing fetch.
My hula hoop. My magic wand
My tiddley-winks. A stinky pond.
The Secret Seven. The Famous Five
Swallows and Amazons. The Call of the Wild.
My roller skates. My spinning top
Hopscotch. Elastics. Parachute drop
Pink school milk. Climbing trees
My fishing net. Scabs on knees
Whist. Gin Rummy. Memory games
Rosehips. Brambles. Country lanes.

---

Poetry works best when it is sparse and specific. As author and humourist Mark Twain observed, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

A few points to remember when composing this type of poem:

• Use “my” as often as possible to show that the list is personal, not generic

• Play with the order of the lines - say them out loud until you find a natural rhythm

• Rhyming can be helpful; it often forces you to dredge up forgotten details and moments

Living in a disposable age means that even young children can easily create a list of games or activities that firmly date their childhood. I’ve watched eight- and nine-year-olds become nostalgic while doing this exercise.

Any single phrase in my poem instantly catapults me back to my childhood. Which items or activities do that for you?

Post your picker poem in the comments—I’d love to read it.

If you teach creative writing you can find this and other exercises in Creative Writing: A Teacher’s Guide and Creative Writing for Children (for tutors and home-schooling) on the Amazon link to the right. Download to Kindle for PC to print off lesson plans and worksheets. I use the same workshops to teach both adults and children but do plan to create a book specifically for adults shortly.

Denise Howie: World Famous in B.C. 
Amazon Creative Writing Guides