Write your pain

a hatchet over broken glass

This exercise is for a two-part poem about pain. In fact, your title could be “Pain.” 
 
Part 1. Write a poem that bruises your mouth to read. Fill it with heavy words, awkward combinations, and tongue-twisting, cheek-biting virtuosity.
 
Part 2. Write a poem that makes your eyes burn. Arrange your words and letters as if you were sending a ransom note to e. e. cummings. Then edit that with an axe.

 

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