(From The Practice of Poetry, contributed by Suzy Spraker)

Objective: This exercise is mainly used to prove that the mind does not "think" in abstractions.

Directions:

1. Close your eyes and listen to the word that is said out loud.
2. Open your eyes and write down what you saw. For example: If the word is "justice," you may see the lady with the scales or a judge with a gavel or a courtroom.
3. Wait for further instructions

This is the mind's "translation" of an idea, an abstract concept to a mental picture, an image. The mind odes this naturally.

Please write down your "images." Be honest about what you "see." Don't worry if you see a brussel sprout when the word is "self"--your mind is telling you something. It's making a connection, which may not (or may not want to be) readily apparent to you. We're not here to analyze your connections, but to understand that the mind always has logic.

You may want to try this exercise alone. Try "tracking" the ignition of the image. Referring to the brussel sprout image, you may continue to interrogate that image and write down the next image that it inspires, and the next. You may find that this is "tracking" the ignition of a poem. You may see a hand picking up the brussel sprout or a toy next to it. You recognize the hand as yours, your hand as a child, you begin to enlarge the frame, you see it's you as a baby eating brussel sprouts for the first time.

Here is a list of "abstractions" displayed in four columns: