Persona Poetry
What is a Persona Poem???
A persona poem is a poem written in first person from the perspective of someone or something other than yourself. The poet embodies a figure from history, or a fictional character, or even an inanimate object, and writes imagining what that person or thing might say if they had the chance to write a poem.
Below is an example of a Persona Poem from the perspective of Wile E. Coyote by the incredible poet Shane Hawley...
The Persona Poems of Scott Sigl...
The Refrigerator Speaks of Love
you think you’ve confined me to a world of darkness
you think I need your help to see the light
you think I’m a cold heart
a frozen wasteland
but have you ever seen the inside of me
with the door closed?
have you ever seen the inside of anyone
after they’ve closed their door to
everyone?
a cold heart
a frozen wasteland
Some closed their door a long time ago
and haven’t opened it since.
Tell them there are vegetables rotting inside,
soups and sauces
salads and sausage
long past expired
but even in the coldest fridge
there is a light inside
a light that never goes out
a light that is waiting
in darkness
waiting
in rot
waiting
waiting
for their door
to be opened
you think I need your help to see the light
you think I’m a cold heart
a frozen wasteland
but have you ever seen the inside of me
with the door closed?
have you ever seen the inside of anyone
after they’ve closed their door to
everyone?
a cold heart
a frozen wasteland
Some closed their door a long time ago
and haven’t opened it since.
Tell them there are vegetables rotting inside,
soups and sauces
salads and sausage
long past expired
but even in the coldest fridge
there is a light inside
a light that never goes out
a light that is waiting
in darkness
waiting
in rot
waiting
waiting
for their door
to be opened
Last Words of the Artist Who Never "Made It"
I’m terrified of death
nothing on Earth could be as cold as the reaper’s bony finger
I’ve had the faith siphoned out of me through religious institution
no faith in a God
to give me anything
but eternal darkness
once I’ve run out of sand
I tried to live forever
tried my damnedest
tried to give the world a picture
a song
a story
that would render me
immortal
Lord
if you’re up there
just grant me that
that I tried
it’s more than most could say
nothing on Earth could be as cold as the reaper’s bony finger
I’ve had the faith siphoned out of me through religious institution
no faith in a God
to give me anything
but eternal darkness
once I’ve run out of sand
I tried to live forever
tried my damnedest
tried to give the world a picture
a song
a story
that would render me
immortal
Lord
if you’re up there
just grant me that
that I tried
it’s more than most could say
Squidward Tentacles Diary Entry # 687
I love...
the finer things in life.
I love quiet,
solitude
relaxation.
At night,
I dream that I am in Carnegie Hall,
I dream of the most haunting
and gentle
melodies
played with the strength
and dreaminess
of an iron fortress
under a purple moonlight,
of an army general
draped in the arms of his adoring wife
of a Tchaikovsky symphony
on the most beautiful of all the instruments...
the clarinet
the finer things in life.
I love quiet,
solitude
relaxation.
At night,
I dream that I am in Carnegie Hall,
I dream of the most haunting
and gentle
melodies
played with the strength
and dreaminess
of an iron fortress
under a purple moonlight,
of an army general
draped in the arms of his adoring wife
of a Tchaikovsky symphony
on the most beautiful of all the instruments...
the clarinet
On Persona Poetry
"The Refrigerator Speaks of Love" was inspired by a question that has plagued humanity for centuries: "does the light inside the refrigerator stay on after you close the door?" I can picture Homer Simpson standing in his underwear, opening and closing the refrigerator door pondering this monumental question. I used metaphor as the main tool to get my message across in this poem, comparing many aspects of a fridge to those of a human, personifying it in a way. Cold, a light inside, and open and closed doors are utilized to express a concept about maintaining a certain openness and honesty with others even when we have been hurt in the past.
"Last Words of the Artist Who Never 'Made It" is the manifesto of an artist who is giving up on his dream of becoming famous through his work. He views fame as synonymous with immortality and refers to it quite literally, "I tried to live forever." A particularly effective metaphor I think is the word choice of "sand" instead of "time." It creates the imagery of sand running out of an hourglass which remains in line with the very grave and mortal imagery used in the rest of the poem, and maintains the mood appropriate for the content.
For a great portion of my time writing poetry I had avoided writing in persona. Most of my inspiration for writing came from true events that I had experienced and as I result, I believed that I was doing more to develop my own voice by writing exclusively from my own perspective. When I finally experimented with persona poetry for the first time because of this assignment, I discovered the unique perspective that persona actually gives you. It is true that in persona you are speaking from someone else's voice but there is simply no way to write without it being inspired by your own personal beliefs and experiences. Persona poetry is simply, a mask that a poet can wear to pretend they are someone they're not. This mask puts a wall of separation between the poet and the audience and may allow the poet to write more truthfully about topics or ideas they feel uncomfortable expressing directly. In allowing one's self to become vulnerable and write in this way, poets can break out of their comfort zone and break writing habits that they may not even be aware of in their writing process. Writing in persona is a healthy exercise for poets of any kind.
"Last Words of the Artist Who Never 'Made It" is the manifesto of an artist who is giving up on his dream of becoming famous through his work. He views fame as synonymous with immortality and refers to it quite literally, "I tried to live forever." A particularly effective metaphor I think is the word choice of "sand" instead of "time." It creates the imagery of sand running out of an hourglass which remains in line with the very grave and mortal imagery used in the rest of the poem, and maintains the mood appropriate for the content.
For a great portion of my time writing poetry I had avoided writing in persona. Most of my inspiration for writing came from true events that I had experienced and as I result, I believed that I was doing more to develop my own voice by writing exclusively from my own perspective. When I finally experimented with persona poetry for the first time because of this assignment, I discovered the unique perspective that persona actually gives you. It is true that in persona you are speaking from someone else's voice but there is simply no way to write without it being inspired by your own personal beliefs and experiences. Persona poetry is simply, a mask that a poet can wear to pretend they are someone they're not. This mask puts a wall of separation between the poet and the audience and may allow the poet to write more truthfully about topics or ideas they feel uncomfortable expressing directly. In allowing one's self to become vulnerable and write in this way, poets can break out of their comfort zone and break writing habits that they may not even be aware of in their writing process. Writing in persona is a healthy exercise for poets of any kind.