For this assignment I decided to do something a bit challenging and poetic. The assignment I chose was “A Story In Alphabet” from the DS106 Assignment Bank, which has you create a story using every letter of the alphabet in order. I wanted to take is a step further by creating a poem. I was inspired by artwork I have seen for the Persian poem “The Conference of the Birds.” I wanted to make a simple descriptive poem that included as many birds as possible with words describing them. However, choosing this assignment made that process even harder since I had to use the letters of the alphabet in order. The hard part was finding words that fit the birds I had chosen descriptively, however I think I managed just fine. To complete this assignment, I used Wikipedia’s List of Birds by Common Name page and the Scrabble Player’s Dictionary to find descriptive words by using their letter search. I wanted to use a variety of birds and even thought of switching the order of description and bird every couple lines, but decided not to so I wouldn’t break the flow of the poem. Please, give the finished project a read and tell me what you think in a comment down below! Albatrosses beckon, Cockatoos dance, Eagles fly, Guineas hide, Ibises jibe, Kookaburras loom, Magpies nag, Orioles preen, Quails roost, Sparrows twitter, Umbrellabirds vibe, Woodpeckers xeric, Yellowheads zigzag

After exploring the DS106 Assignment Bank, I decided to try my hand at the “Poem Parody” assignment. The poem I chose to parody was Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death – (479)”, which I have included in the right-hand column below, while my parody version is located in the left-hand column below. Though my parody turned out to be more morbid than I originally intended, I still wanted to share it since the theme of Dickinson’s original poem is death and I pretty much turned her poem into a narrative about a husband abandoning his family. Not exactly humorous at first glance, but I do find something ironic about “Death” turning into “Jeff” and leaving his wife and kids… I know my sense of humor is a little odd! Please let me know what you think by commenting below! Parody Because I would not stop for Jeff–He refused to stop for me –This Marriage held by just Ourselves –And Jealousy. We wearily fell– He had no tasteAnd I had put awayMy labor and my love too,For His Discourtesy– He passed the School, where our Children stroveAt Recess – in the Ring –He passed the City with posthaste – He passed the Waning Moon –Or rather – He passed Us –The Kids drew shivering in the evening Chill –For only Gossamer, my Gown –He took my Tippet – my only Chattel – He paused before a House that seemedA Swelling of the Ground –The Moon was scarcely visible –Our Love – in the Ground – Since then – ’tis Decades Past – and yetFeels shorter than the DayI first surmised my Husband’s LeftWere all but Detached– Original Because I could not stop for Death –He kindly stopped for me –The Carriage held but just Ourselves –And Immortality. We slowly drove – He knew no hasteAnd I had put awayMy labor and my leisure too,For His Civility – We passed the School, where Children stroveAt Recess – in the Ring –We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –We passed the Setting Sun – Or rather – He passed Us –The Dews drew quivering and Chill –For only Gossamer, my Gown –My Tippet – only Tulle – We paused before a House that seemedA Swelling of the Ground –The Roof was scarcely visible –The Cornice – in the Ground – Since then – ’tis Centuries – and yetFeels shorter than the DayI first surmised the Horses’ HeadsWere toward Eternity –