I often find that the rules people spout off about poetry usually are arbitrary and needlessly limiting, so I appreciate the comment by Gabrielle Bates and her sharing this lovely poem. I too enjoy poems about grandmothers and family, and even if I did not, I find being told I cannot do something my strongest motivator.
The first prompt is to take a rule that you’ve heard people state and break it. Write about the moon, the body, death, your first love, a tree, whatever subject you’ve been told to avoid and dive in. Mix a metaphor—deliberately. Use second person. Throw in ellipses or even an exclamation point. Write a love story centered on a hamster—a friend wrote an awesome story after an editor gave this as a topic no one would want to read and even included space travel. It kicked ass! (See, exclamation point).
For the second prompt, write a poem or story about one of your grandmothers (or both) to make Gabrielle Bates happy. Post it on Twitter and tag her if you like.
The second prompt is to begin with a name and use its meaning (or your assumed meaning)—try to choose a name that means a specific object or creature—and for an extended metaphor.
For the third prompt, use the title to set up a scene and take the line “Give me a truth I need to survive” as a ghostline. See where the poem leads you. Make sure to erase the line and give credit to L.S. Jones.
The next prompt is to write of a list poem of all that was “a waste of devotion” for you.
The last prompt is another ghostline: “The story goes: her presence / would remind men of their mortality.” Or you can use it for the first line of a poem or story but make sure you indicate it is a quotation and attribute it to the poet.
Bonus prompt: write an ekphrastic poem using the photo of these sculptures.
Good luck writing! Have fun!