Inspiration

Jason Reynolds, recently named the National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature, captures the way he felt about news of a death in Long Way Down in his verse “The Way I Felt.”

Process

Raise a Glass to the Literary Avant-Garde by writing your own version of “The Way I Felt.”  The “ul” feature in the comment box will help you indent if you wish.
If you are feeling nostalgic, keep the past tense and direct address.
If you are feeling connected to the present, move to present tense.
The “I” need not be you, but could invite another perspective in human form or an abstract concept like Love, Joy, Grief, Regret.

Kim’s Poem

The Way I
felt when your
tail thumped three
times was heartbroken.
I never had
a dog as
loyal as you.
I stood on
the front porch
waiting for you
to look up
but you were
too weak to
lift your head.
Three tail thumps.
And I understood.
It was time.
“Just this side
of Heaven is
a place called…
Rain…bow…bridge”
*Quoted lines are attributed to Paul C. Dahm from the original “Rainbow Bridge Poem.”