Poem Derived from an Absurd Premise
1. Put forth an absurd premise that is extraordinarily at odds with the way the natural world operates. Accept this absurd premise as perfectly normal and carry it out to its logical or illogical conclusion.
2. Try to be equally surprising with other developments as you were with your original premise. Don't simply posit a development from your original premise that is the exact opposite of the real world. This is ironic. It is very much an expected kind of development. Try to mix the familiar with the unfamiliar.
This assignment is worth 1 point.
Examples
1. Russell Edson—Russell Edson is the undisputed master of the absurd premise poem. He is internationally known and widely published for his amusing and twisted perspective on the world.
- The Sad Message
- The Theory
- The Tree
- Elephant Dormitory
- The Breast
- The Melting
- On the Eating of Mice
- The Road