For my second assignment, I decided to do this writing assignment, but use episode titles from The Wire instead. I looked up all the titles on IMDB, wrote them down on pieces of paper, and then organized the pieces of paper to make the poem. The only thing I added was punctuation (, : . & ‘).
While the poem is largely nonsensical, I think the words set a tone for the work and some of the reoccurring topics like school, storms, and water hint at the focus or themes present in various seasons’ plot lines. I decided to link each episode title to its IMDB page, just so anyone reading could see how the titles were put together and also look up episodes of interest to them.
Even if this poem is largely nonsensical, the process of trying to put all the pieces together and make them fit was really interesting. In some ways, it mirrors the police work done to figure out how the drug ring works. Also, seeing some of these titles has me super stoked for and curious about these forthcoming episodes.
The writing process: All the episodes put together on my bedroom floor to make a poem.
Boys of summer backwash lessons,
the cost more with less misgivings, storm warnings.
Time after time: stray rounds, collateral damage.
Know your place, corner boys, straight and true:
Game day, hot shots, duck and cover:
Cleaning up Hamsterdam Port in a storm,
Old cases, hard cases unconfirmed, reports the wire.
Not for attribution unto others the hunt
The detail undertow late editions:
margin of error & clarifications.
Back burners react, quotes alliances.
All due respect, dead soldiers‘ homecoming
& one arrest.
