Animated Epigraph

“A herd of beautiful wild / ponies running free / across the plains.” Aristilde Kirby’s poem “Daria Ukiyo-e,” published in the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day series, begins with an epigraph of a quote from the animated MTV series Daria, which premiered in the late nineties. Select a quotation from a favorite television series that has stayed with you and compose a personal essay that revolves around themes and emotions that the reference calls up. Give yourself the freedom to choose inspiring lines from unexpected and surprising sources, and diverge from the context of the original scene to take it in a direction that resonates with your own life.