The Poetry Stash: 16April2024

A Simple Experiment by Muriel Ruckeyser

Today’s poem is “A Simple Experiment” by Muriel Ruckeyser from the book Writing Poems, Fifth Edition, edited by Robert Wallace and Michelle Boisseau. The book is available for purchase here.

A Simple Experiment by Muriel Ruckeyser

When a magnet is
struck by a hammer
the magnetism spills out of
the iron.

The molecules
are jarred,
they are a mob going
in all directions

The magnet is
shocked back
it is no magnet but
simple iron.

There is no more
of its former
kind of accord
or force.

But if you take
another magnet
and stroke the iron
with this,

it can be
remagnetized
if you stroke it
and stroke it,

stroke it
stroke it,
the molecules
can be given
their tending grace

by a strong magnet
stroking stroking
always in the same direction,
of course.

Prompts:

1.	Begin with “The magnet is…”
2.	Begin with “they are a mob…”
3.	Draft a poem which is written from the 2nd person perspective. For more information about point-of-view (perspective) click here.
4.	Draft a poem examining an experiment.

5. Photo by Byron Sullivan via pexels.com. Use image as a writing prompt.

Thanks for reading PoetryStash Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support the Poetry Stash community.