Joseph Fasano posts great poetry threads, and his own poetry is beautiful. If you are on the bad place (Twitter), give him a follow. I find the pantoum he shared particularly powerful, connecting to my own writing and subject matter.

For the first prompt, write a poem in which the first line is where you hear the name of a loved one who is gone or mistake a stranger for a loved one. The second line is what you heard or a description of the person you saw, and the third provides the setting. The stanza’s last line is your action in the moment. See where you go from there.

The second prompt is to use the line “I sometimes go months without remembering you” for a ghostline. Remember to erase the line and credit the poet for your inspiration.

“Another Lullaby for Insomniacs” was included in the thread—such a lovely poem.

For the next prompt, write a persona poem of a medical disorder or condition, such as insomnia, anxiety, reflux, asthma, etc. And of course you can use the pantoum form if you wish.

The powerful “The Black Girl Comes to Dinner” was also included in the thread. Taylor Byas is an expert of the pantoum—so much to learn from her.

The next prompt is create a poem or story using the following list of words from the poem: “belly,” “brakeless,” “mirage,” “shimmers,” “brimming,” “tires,” “croon,” “calm,” “face” and “mantras.” Try to switch the nouns to verbs and vice versa.

Bonus prompt: write a poem or story based on this image.

Good luck writing! Have fun!