This is such a tender, loving poem from a wonderful poem shared by another great poet. Particularly now I feel the needs for such poems to read and to share.
For the first prompt, share an experience of kind words given to by a child or student. Be as gentle as you need.
The second prompt is to start a poem or story with the line “Today, ____ tell me that I look like ____,” filling in the blank spaces with your own nouns.
The third prompt is write a poem or story from this word list from the poem: “existed,” “simple,” “tender,” “care,” “heal,” “kindness,” “waffles,” “compliments,” “shared” and “garden.”
For the final prompt, describe how you would like to take care of others, whether living creatures or objects, in poem or story. Perhaps, you would like to fix the loosened spines of books, quilt baby blankets to donate, clear off nature trails and paths, socialize animals so that they can be adopted, cook stews and nourishing soups for others to warm up with, all of the million ways we can give ourselves.
Bonus prompt: write an ekphrastic poem or story based on this photo of from Washington Park in Portland.
Good luck writing! Have fun!