Once again I am sharing a poem by Emma Bolden whose writing leaves me breathless and aching. I hope you like it “Postdiluvian” as much as I do.
For the first prompt, take an origin story or creation myth and make it your own.
For the second, blend two senses as the poet did in the lines “See in the distance the gray sound of a bird / without the gray bird.” If you experience synesthesia, anchor a poem or story with that phenomenon or reflect upon it in an essay.
The third prompt is to use the line “See we had lived so long in gleam” as a ghostline, erasing the line after you’ve drafted the poem or story and crediting the poet.
For the next prompt, write a poem or story using the following list of words: “flinch,” “iridescence,” “electric,’ “beasts,” “glint,” “abandon” “gleam,” “sore,” “wheel” and “world.”
The last prompt is to print out the poem and read it aloud, underlining the words that resonate for you and using those words to build your own poem or story. Btw, “Postdiluvian” was originally published in issue 32 of The Asheville Poetry Review; you can check out the entire issue here: https://ashevillepoetryreview.com/back-issues/issue-32/.
Bonus prompt: write a story or poem in which the water’s reflection breaks into a humming or soft pulling.
Good luck writing!