After last week’s trip where I listened to a relative deny fascism and concentration camps, her own racism dripping from her mouth and her telling me to leave the country, I need a little hopefulness, a reminder that joy remains in spite of the horror and rot. I won’t keep silent to what is happening; I love people more than any country or any other lie. I just need to see some goodness and beauty before facing the present and its history.
The first prompt is the poem’s title itself: write a list poem, or perhaps a narrative poem, an essay or story about all the beauty you see early in the day, before its disappointments and griefs come home. Remember to credit the poet for your inspiration.
For the second prompt, write a poem or story about the panoramic view before a fall. Describe what Wile E. Coyote sees before he and as he looks down, those moments before gravity pulls him from the cliff’s height, but indicate to your reader that no matter how hard the landing, you (or your character) will rise again.
The third prompt is to write a poem or story using the following list of words: “open,” “upright,” “spokes,” “fragrant,” “mist,” “luck,” “morning,” “riot,” “minutes” and “comes.”
For the last prompt, look up the migration of a particular species of bird and butterfly and describe how it travels and what it calls home, interspersed with your own travels and homecomings.
Bonus prompt: describe this scene and however it affects you, letting the description of the setting convey the emotional response.
Good luck. Have fun writing and sharing.