Poetry In (group) Motion

Party goers write two lines of a poem to honor the celebrant.  At an appropriate time  (before the happy birthday song or before the toasts)  one or more of the guest read the poem(s).

How Many Participants

3 to 12 per poem (at a larger party circulate several poems that are read occasionally throughout the gathering,  E.Gg if there are 40 people at a party instead of one long poem better to circulate 4 shorter poems…

Equipment

• lined paper
• a pencil with eraser
• a backing to write on (a clipboard is ideal)

The Set Up

• A sheet or two of paper and pencil are set up on a backing in such a way as they can be passed easily from one person to another.
• The poem is given a title:  let’s say it is my friend Joy’s 50^th birthday party:  a title might be “Ode to Joy”    
• This title is then placed somewhere where all the writes will be able to see it. It could be on the bottom of the page or on a sticker at the top of the clipboard

The Play

• One writer will start the poem and finish the poem.
• That person begins by simply writing one line and passes the poem to somebody else
• This next person 
  1. Completes a couplet with the line they see 
  2. Folds both lines over so they are hidden
  3. Writes a new line to the poem
  4.  Passes the poem on to the someone else who only can see the “new line”
• This new person does the same
  1. Completes a couplet with the line they see 
  2. Folds both lines over so they are hidden
  3. Writes a new line to the poem
  4. Passes the poem on to the someone else who only can see the “new line”
• The poem keeps growing as it quietly circulates around the room 
• When the poem has made it rounds the original writer finishes the poem with one line to complete the couplet and the poem
• Someone(s) willing will then gather the party goers/ and read the poem with spirit/energy to the celebrant(s)

Notes:   

• The idea is to have fun and honoring the celebrant.   
• Key to this activity working is to  remind folks to be playful, not to think too hard or worry about writing the perfect words.. .Simply  respond to the one line you see, fold those two over and continue on with a new line .
• The hope is that all lines are connected in any wild way to the title/or the person(s) being celebrated. 
• It can be fun to try to create rhyming couplets or prose poems or circulate a few naming one a rhyming poem and one a prose poem.  Or tell writers they can do whatever the want with the couplet they finish.