"Reverse Scrabble" is a prompt invented last week by our literary ring master, David Lehman. The aim is to derive as many words as possible from one given polysyllabic word and then integrate them artfully into a poem.
The word for this game of scrabble is operation.
Your job is to break down this word into its component parts—like playing Scrabble in reverse—and to compose a poem in which you use at least one such word per line.
Some short words are hefty enough to get you points (“art” for example), but four-letter words are a better bet. Extra points for words of five letters or more, like “opera” or “ration.” The poem should be between eight and 12 lines long.
So why “operation”? Head over to the American Scholar's page to find out, and to enter your candidate!
Deadline: Saturday, March 2, midnight any time zone.
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