The Fugue Poem
Note: A fugue is a piece of music that has layered variations on a theme which mesh together. Each variation (or layer, if you will) is slightly different from the original theme.
1. Choose a phrase or several phrases (usually an image) and work them into the rest of your poem in a slightly different form. The altered form may even take on a different meaning or a different sense from an earlier usage.
2. Any type of theme or subject is appropriate although usually a story-poem (narrative) is not used. Often the poem uses omniscient 3rd-person narrative rather than 1st-person. This means: the persona behind the speaking voice does not appear in the poem. That is, the voice is speaking from beyond the activity of the poem.
3. Often the poem uses striking images (typically surreal) and a fluid rhythm which enchants the reader. In fact, the repetition and slight variation often serves as a formal constraint which binds the poem together in some manner (i. e. the repeated image serves as a kind of central focus).
This assignment is worth 1 point.
Examples: