Write a poem on a "predictable" subject, but have your tone create a twisted interpretation. For example, you could write a poem about death but have the tone be happy. Or birth but have the poem feel strained or depressing. The title of your poem should be taken from a line in the poem itself (or part of a line)
Here is my example:
Zero
She came out screaming
and the nurse slapped her feet.
We looked at each other knowing we were beat -
beat from exhausion, beat by Fate.
I saw my daughter for 46 empty seconds,
all I could do was count
her fingers and toes like they do in those movies (20)
her eyes (2), her knees (2), her elbows (2), her eye brows (2)
how many times the doctor called CODE RED (7)
how many times the nurse screamed GET HER OUT OF HERE (13)
how many tears from my husband hit my cheek (8)
how many times I ever saw him cry in our lives (2)
how many times I got married (1)
how many months we tried to have a baby (74)
how many miscarriages (2)
how many majors I chose in college (4)
how many times I hit that girl for stealing my boyfriend (16)
how many teachers that told me I was better than this town (1)
how many months I had to work to buy my first car (24)
how many times I slow danced with my first boyfriend (12)
how many times my brother punched a hole in his wall (5)
how many times my sister left me at softball practice (7)
how many times I told my mom I wanted to be an actress (8)
how many times she listened (0)
how many times the nurse squeezed my hand and said "I'm sorry, baby" (9)
how many times my husband shouted out DO SOMETHING (13)
how many times the doctor said "We've done all we can" (13)
how many times the nurse asked "what's her name s'posed to be, baby?" (3)
how many times I answered (0).
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