Today was a terrible day to read the news. Every American should feel horror and shame for the harm our nation is inflicting upon the world and sorrow for what we are doing to ourselves. I don’t know how to stop this, only try to reach for the good and appreciate the beautiful while I can.
Here is a beautiful poem by beyza ozer, https://poets.org/poem/holding-rose-water.
For the first prompt, write about what is left unsaid in families, interspersed with familial rituals, comfort foods and specific memories of lost loved ones and/or homes.
For the second prompt, mix your own family's migration with those of migratory birds and other species. Do you ever return home? Can you? Where is your home now? Is it a place or a time or both?
For the third, use the lines "There is never / a good time" as your title or as a refrain. Indicate that these are quoted through italics and attribution.
The next prompt is to write a poem from this word list: "holding," "fight," "stopped," "now," "forever," "time," "instant," "wraps" "unreachable," "grief" and "talk."
For the last prompt, use the line "We fight so hard. We open the tops of" as a ghostline. Remember to erase the line after you've finished drafting the poem and credit the poet for the inspiration.
Bonus prompt: write what a heart-shaped coffee ground means to you.
Good luck writing. May tomorrow be a more peaceful day for everyone.