In her brief poem, “Ebb,” Edna St. Vincent Millay composes a five-line simile to communicate the depth of the narrator’s feelings of loss. (A simile is a comparison using “like” or “as”.) In the poem below, notice how the last five lines follow the word
like:
“I know what my heart is like
Since your love died:
It is
like a hollow ledge
Holding a little pool
Left there by the tide,
A little tepid pool,
Drying inward from the edge.”
The richness and specificity of Millay’s figurative language makes this compact verse powerful. Through her words and line-breaks, Millay gives us a vivid picture of her heartbreak, as well as time to pause and contemplate this imagery, altogether allowing the significance of the speaker’s feelings to sink in.
For this prompt, write a 7-line poem that also features a 5-line simile, as
And_The_Stars_Laughed and
Sherry171 do in these rich verses. Begin with Millay’s line: “I know what my heart is like…” You do not have to write about loss, as Millay does; instead, you can choose your own emotion or experience to bring to life with this structure—you might choose joy or wonder, embarrassment or excitement.
Make sure to add a line of attribution at the end, acknowledging Millay’s inspiration and the line you have borrowed.