Turn out the lights, ask students to close their eyes, and then read the following scripted fantasy:

          Close your eyes and picture a machine (any machine but a lawn mower)---a particular type of car, a can opener, garbage disposal, water sprinkler---any mechanical device powered by electricity, gas, or the wind. Now, look closely at each detail of the machine... Watch how its parts move... Listen to its sounds... Smell any aromas or odors it emits...

          Now, think of an animal that the object reminds you of. Visualize how the animal looks... Picture its colors, sounds, smells... Observe it as it moves... Look at each muscle and watch its rhythm... Notice its mood and the details that made you realize that mood... Watch what it does and where it goes... Look around your animal and notice where it is. Look above it, to the right, to the left, below... OK. Open your eyes.

          Explain to the class that they are going to use the images they just pictured to write a poem. Ask them to concentrate on the images one more time as you reread the script. Next, have them use the images they visualized as they follow this sequence:

• Identify the machine with two or three words.
  
  
• Describe it with a one-word metaphor and a participle.
  
  
• Add an absolute phrase showing what it's doing.
  
  
• Use a prepositional phrase to tell where the animal is located.
  
  
• Add another participle describing its actions.
  
  
• Use a prepositional phrase to conclude the poem.
  
  

          After students have finished, ask volunteers to share their poems. Explain that this scripted fantasy was designed to help them use grammatical structures to create poetic images.

          Some students may have difficulty following this procedure. If so, present the sample below (written by the author) before asking students to create their own. Mention that the rhyme in the sample wasn't necessary, but added for effect.

Sample Poem

lawn mower,
a shark devouring its prey,
teeth slicing its way
through oceans of green,
attacking prey unseen
with mindless
devotion