Memoir Writing 101

By Elizabeth Aharonian Moon

The day the live poet came to our memoir class

We looked at his chubby face, at his eyes, candescent

as  he read his poems from a fat notebook, marked with rips of paper.

And we listened as he spoke and wrote words on the old chalk board

clicking the t’s, the E’s, the H’s, noisy and messy

all rushing downward.

We had to tilt our necks to read his notes;

We had to lift our chins and tilt our heads (again)

as we listened to his words:

     
     Write what is true, he wrote and said

     Write what you know and then some, he said and wrote

     Write about loss and love

     teachers and bicycles

     Write about home and away

     Write about the quicksand in your lives.