Today’s poem is “He Petitions for the Right to Reside in Berlin” by Jean Nordhaus from the collection The Porcelain Apes of Moses Mendelssohn. The book is available for purchase here.
He Petitions for the Right to Reside in Berlin by Jean Nordhaus Maimonides, beloved teacher, make me understand. Am I to seek permission from the king, a man like me who sweats and prays, whose words come steeped in the smell of his lunch, to set my Jewish rump upon his public benches? When the gates are opened and the men enter, you have said, their souls will enjoy repose, their eyes be gratified, and even their bodies, after all toil and strain, will be refreshed. Teach me, honored friend, the antonyms for pride, the homonyms for shame and sham, and how the question modifies the questioner. Truly, I am perplexed.
Prompts:
1. Begin with “the smell of…” 2. Begin with “I am perplexed…” 3. Draft a persona poem. To learn more about persona poems, click here. 4. Draft a poem that includes a quote from another writer.
5. Photo by Travis Saylor via pexels.com. Use this image as a writing prompt.
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