"Last Class" by Theodore Roethke

Written by poet Theodore Roethke, "Last Class" is a prose experiment that reads a lot like a really long poem, but is probably better classified as prose. I'm sure there are plenty of arguments for either side, but in the end, Roethke chose to format it as prose, so guess what, it's prose.

This is not my favorite form, but the experiment has merits. I personally didn't enjoy reading "Last Class" very much, because it was difficult to read. However, there is legitimacy is the poetic images Roethke creates throughout the piece which made the class in the story vivid and real. I especially liked the short descriptions of the different types of people in the class, like the quince, the bufflehead, and brain girl.