Growing up in a rural Midwestern town, I found this poem so powerful, but of course I am already biased since I so like his writing and his book Dad Jokes from Late in the Patriarchy. I also wanted to discuss a longer poem since I often feature shorter ones.

For the first prompt, take religion, philosophy, sin, goodness or other abstract concept and explain what it means to you, using a specific experience and providing sensory description in a poem, short story or essay.

The second prompt is to describe what “the path through heartbreak” is to you.

For a third prompt, use the lines “a prayer / to be loved that only the devout can hear” as a ghostline. Remember to erase the line and give credit to the poet.

The next prompt is to write a list poem of inane statements, such as the white cow eating green grass and making white milk, to attribute to the hand of God. Perhaps, one could be that corn is holy in that it sometimes remains whole after traveling through the digestive tract.

Write about experience in which “[p]urer, simpler faith never existed.” This could be a moment of deep piety or one in which you earnestly prayed to whoever is listening or to fate itself.

For another prompt, write a poem or story using the following word list: “break,” “wager,” “plume,” “bruised,” “steeple,” “translations,” “gaudy,” “tawny,” “martyr,” “sweat,” “throat” and “devout.”

Bonus prompt: what does that the word psalm originates from the Greek verb psallein, “to pull or pluck” and the noun psalmos “the twanging of a harp.” Write a hymn or sacred poem of your own.

Good luck writing! Have fun!