Read "American Sonnets for my Past and Future Assassin [I'm not sure how to hold my face when I dance].” Write down each image, word, or phrase that is personal, or unique. These particulars compose what makes a poem authentic, what gives it texture, what is your voice.

In this poem, Terrance Hayes takes a classic form, a sonnet, 14 lines, 10 syllables each, in a iambic (da-duh) pattern, and makes it completely his own. Just because you follow a pattern does not mean you lose your uniqueness. Read this poem aloud to yourself. Then listen to Hayes read it at 1:16 of this video. Write down all of the words and phrases that sound surprising or especially rhythmic.

Now, list 20 images, phrases, quotes, or sounds that are entirely unique to your life, that you carry with you form day-to-day because of what you were surprised by as a child, what you loved, what you were afraid of. A list could look like: pill bugs under smooth oval rocks; bent chain link fence where Bandit escaped; black shag carpet on the back porch with the dirty baseballs; “ollie ollie oxen free!”; “creep!”; the soft sound of her reading voice before sleep.

In an interview, Terrance Hayes talks about how identity is different from personality. You inhabit many identities in the world, but your personality is deeper--it is composed of those details that make you you. By now, in this mini-class, you can call yourself a Poet, but what do poets do? Write. Speak. Name. Deliver. Circle your favorites from the list you made. Read them aloud to yourself. Get a sense of what you sound like.

Now, write your sonnet, without overthinking. Let the sound of your listen items guide the sounds of the lines. And don't be afraid to fail; mistakes are part of your poetry, too. If you are feeling brave, add your version of this poem to our collaborative book of our sonnets, all inspired by this lesson.