Animal Passion

Golden Shovel Poetry is a style of verse created by Terrance Hayes. This form of found poetry allows the writer to take a favorite poem and use it to make something original. I experimented with found poetry last year when I wrote Blank Verse poems. Since I have a small booklet of William Blake poems on my shelf that I’ve planned to reread, I decided to start the month of July playing with the words written by this Romantic Era poet. Blake didn’t receive much recognition in his life. Some people thought he was insane. I will call this first poem Animal Passion.

The rules for writing a Golden Shovel poem and Animal Passion

While researching this style of poetry created by Terrance Hayes, there seem to be four simple rules. You can use as many lines of the poem as you want, and the poem will end with you being your creation. I find this idea interesting. Written below are the three simple rules.

1). Choose a poem that you like. I will use poems by William Blake in my July poetic adventure.

2)Use each word in the line or lines as the end word in your poem. Make sure they stay in order.

3) Construct an entire poem around them. The meaning doesn’t have to be the same.

4) Give the original poet credit who wrote the line or lines you used.

In this poetic adventure, I will stick to using poems written by William Blake. This offer I call  Animal Passion. The word end words of each line were from Blakes The Tyger.

Animal Passion
You are ruthless as a Tyger!
You have sharp teeth like Tyger!
Passion burning,
Blue eyes bright.
Oh, the trouble I am in
When I consider the
The dense foliage of the forest
And the brilliant image of
Your striped skin and the
Danger that prowls in the night.


When I consider what
A beast like you, immortal
With a Passionate heart and hand
And I tremble from your touch or
A glance from your lust-filled eye
I know I can’t, but I wish could
Stroke your violent frame
With a sigh, admire thy
Beautiful but fearful
Masculine symmetry?

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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