Poets & Writers
Published on Poets & Writers (https://www.pw.org)

Home > Maladies

Maladies [1]

Poetry [2]
1.20.15

There are certain words and phrases that are always used when discussing head colds, migraines, sprained ankles, and other ailments. This week, write a poem about an illness or injury without using the medical language commonly associated with it. For example, if you’re writing about a sinus infection, try avoiding the diagnostic terms “pressure” and “congestion,” and instead describe the symptoms using more metaphorical language. Have fun with it, like Ogden Nash [3] did. 


Source URL:https://www.pw.org/content/maladies

Links
[1] https://www.pw.org/content/maladies [2] https://www.pw.org/genre/poetry [3] http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/common-cold/)