mbreadxcise

The BOP

The BOP is a form of lament or complaint created several years ago by Afaa Michael Weaver at Cave Canem, a workshop retreat for African-American writers founded by poets Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady. Ideally, each stanza has a different role in the poem's "argument. Stanza 1 should set out your complaint; Stanza 2 explores the problem; Stanza 3 reconciles the problem or, if the problem can't be reconciled, shows your attempt and failure to reconcile it. You should use a song refrain between complaints, and there are two versions of the BOP.

FIRST VERSION of the BOP
(Stanza 1)
Line 1/ Line 2/ Line 3/ Line 4/ Line 5/ Line 6/ Song Line

(Stanza 2)
Line 1/ Line 2/ Line 3/ Line 4/ Line 5/ Line 6/ Line 7/ Line 8/ Your New Line/ Song Line Refrain

(Stanza 3)
Line 1/ Line 2/ Line 3/ Line 4/ Line 5/ Line 6/ New Line/ Repeat New Line/ Song Line Refrain

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SECOND VERSION of the BOP
(Stanza 1)
Line 1/ Line 2/ Line 3/ Line 4/ Line 5/ Line 6/ Song Line

(Stanza 2)
Line 1/ Line 2/ Line 3/ Line 4/ Line 5/ Line 6/ Line 7/ Line 8/ Your New Line/ Song Line Refrain

(Stanza 3)
Line 1/ Line 2/ Line 3/ Line 4/ Line 5/ Line 6/ New Line/ Repeat New Line/ Song Line Refrain

(Stanza 4)
Line 1/ Line 2/ Line 3/ Line 4/ Line 5/ Line 6/ Song Line Refrain

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SAMPLE BOP

bill collector's revenge: sanity's final bop
(by Wendell W. Ottley III)

alarm sounds thrice before i answer
a dying hello dragged by fiberoptics
met by hollow
script-reading voice
inserting my full name after
"hello may i talk to ..."

i'm hanging off the roof with one hand, losing my grip*

"he's not here"
fights through knotted larynx
reflections of vocal quiver trapped in a heart's pause
exhaling to sound of
"may i leave a number where he can reach us?"
"of course"
pretending to jot her recitation
1-800 somethng or other

pray my indiscretions won't cost me heaven
i'm hangin off tha roof wit one han, losin my grip

"have a nice day"
morphs into witch's cackle
inner-child tantrum slams receiver
recoil rattles unsteady core
masochistic thoughts cloud my sky
trembling hands leaf through final notices

pray my indiscretions won't cost me heaven
pray my indiscretions won't cost me heaven
'm hangin off da roof wit 1 han, lozin mah grip

*the song refrain here is recited by Method Man in the song "4 Seasons" by Method Man & Redman, featuring L.L. Cool J and Ja-Rule (Def Jam (c) 2000)