the art of personification
per·son·i·fi·ca·tion /pərˌsänəfəˈkāSH(ə)n/ (noun): the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.
Anyway, no long post today. Here are some examples of personification or near-personification that I love. I hope that they inspire you, too.
"Ruin, I have lived / inside your estate."
-Rachel Eliza Griffiths
"The sun performing / its ritual, swinging / its bare back across / the clockwork of sky."
-Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
"i have never held the word illness in my mouth, until / i stared at the ceiling and found it coiled / in the throat, ready to pounce."
-Nancy Huang
"I lean / against the heavy shoulder / of sleep."
-Linda Pastan
"I rest against the shoulder / of sleep."
-Cleopatra Mathis
"Loss keeps thudding past my house, telling me I’m not done."
-Sandra Lim
“A jet unzips sky.”
-Danielle Hanson, “Unzip”
If you liked these examples, you might enjoy my posts on 1) similes and 2) metaphors, too. And I hope you’ll read more of the above poets’ work!
Have a great weekend.
love this kind of form <3 (passionate lists)
also, if you haven't read "Restless Continent" by Aja Couchois Duncan i would highly recommend! her exploration of language often takes on a level of personification, it's wonderful