If you are as tired of writing different versions of the same depressing poem in various forms as I am, explore a new genre. Maybe combine the aesthetics of a fiction genre into a poem. I love this thread of tweets that combines gothic tone and Minneapolis. And it is true: 35W is always under construction.

Raised in the Midwest, I FEEL this to the marrow of my corn-fed bones:

For your first prompt, describe your hometown or current town using the tropes of a fiction genre— gothic, horror, whatever fits best. Try writing it as a prose poem, and then try a version with stanzas and line breaks. What happens? Which works better and why?

For another challenge, try to write a prose poem in which one sentence or phrase is repeated at least three times with the purpose of building tension. If you are having difficulty, make a list of five common sayings in your area. Which of the five stands out. Begin with that statement and create a chorus effect.

Here are two more examples of the writer doing this so well:

For a third prompt, describe Main Street, or the most famous street in your city, in one sentence. Begin with that image but focus tighter and tighter until you end up with a single image of a broken bottle, dead bird along the curb, or some other stark image. See what happens.

Here is a photo from my favorite restaurant in Minneapolis. Perhaps it will put you in the mood.

And birds. We must have birds for gothic.

Yes, birds.

That is your final prompt.

Good luck writing!