This next poem was a disaster for me. The assignment was to create a parody of Poe's "The Raven" while trying to keep with general tone of the poem. I sat for hours without inspiration until I decided I would focus my dislike of this assignment and use that for inspiration. What followed was a direct attack on the professor and his less than great assignments of late. The reference to last spring is in regard to my previous taking of this class with the same professor. Enjoy!
Once upon a dull grey afternoon, while I sat, bored and tired,
Over many an interesting and weird collection of poetry assignments –
While I nodded, nearly dying, suddenly there came a screeching,
As of some one being raped, raped by a dark alley door.
“Oh fuck, here it comes,” I muttered, “a stupid new assignment –
Always this and nothing more.”
Ah, distinctly I recall it was in the past spring;
And each assignment was a sort of surprise upon my mind.
Eagerly I wished for the next; -- excited for what was to come
From the mouth of the professor – his endless wisdom of poem –
For he is the one in charge of this all, he is –
Nameless here for evermore.
And the words, confusing, that he continued to speak
Nauseated me – filled me with gut-wrenching horror never felt before;
So that now, to continue my pain, he kept repeating
“Your assignment is to write a parody of ‘The Raven’ –
Write a parody of ‘The Raven’; --
That is it and nothing more.”
Presently my soul grew darker; hesitating then no longer,
“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I wanted something more, and so violent you came screeching,
And so horribly you came screaming, rambling to the class,
That I scarce was sure I heard you” – here I pretended I misheard; -- --
But that was it and nothing more.
