If I encourage writers to write about individuals they know, or knew, I will generally get one piece of work in return. If I try the same exercise later on, someone might say, 'Oh, I've done that!'
I'm reading Hannah Lowe's poetry collection, Chick. I haven't finished it yet, but the first nineteen poems are about her dad - Chick.
Who do you know that you could write about in nineteen different ways? Actually, the answer should be 'Almost everybody". Nobody is so one dimensional (I hope) that their life can be summed up in one poem.
Try it. Write the obvious piece. Then look for the left-over memories, fragments, feelings... and breathe life (informed by your experience of the person) into them.
The further you get from the first piece, the deeper you will need to delve - and your writing should be better for that!
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