Step into the Lead

Hello, dVerse poets! It’s Merril writing to you from southern New Jersey with today’s prompt.

Today we’re going to give secondary characters a voice. Choose a character from a well-known story, myth, book, fairy tale, movie, play, or even song who is not the lead character. For example, John Updike wrote a novel about Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother (Gertrude and Claudius, 2000). Tom Stoppard wrote an absurdist play called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead based on the minor characters who were Hamlet’s childhood friends.

For a poetic example, read this one by Margaret Atwood from the perspective of one of the sirens from Greek mythology, instead of Odysseus.

“This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible”

You may pick any character, but it will be more effective if most people know the story. For example, write a poem from the perspective of Little Red Riding Hood’s mother or one of Cinderella’s stepsisters, Juliet’s nurse or Friar Laurence from Romeo and Juliet, or Jack’s mother in Jack and the Beanstalk. Write from the Minotaur’s point of view or that of Argos, Odysseus’ dog. Go seasonal and write from the perspective of an unknown elf or a reindeer, not Rudolph. Be the love responding to Marlowe’s passionate shepherd.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44675/the-passionate-shepherd-to-his-love

However, this is a global community, so please feel free to pick a minor or secondary character from any source, but perhaps include some background, if you think it the original may not be well-known to most dVerse readers.

You may choose any character and any style. There is no form requirement. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Let’s see who’s ready for their close-up! Have fun!

Are you new? Here’s what to do!

*Write and post the poem on your blog and tag dVerse, so that your subscribers can find us too!
*Share the link to your post (not your blog site) at Mr. Linky below.
*Please find time to read other entries. We gather at the pub to share our poems. So kindly don’t just post and vanish.