Poets & Writers Poetry Prompt Inspired by Jessica Abughattas

How is the first week of poems coming? Oof, a little rough for me, which does not bode well for the rest of the month. Here is a prompt from Poets & Writers, which posts weekly fiction and creative non-fiction prompts, in addition to poetry prompts, throughout the year). Here is the link for the latest poetry prompt: https://www.pw.org/writing-prompts-exercises.

While this prompt is similar to a previous one I posted (that one inspired by Beth Marquez who also structured the poem using a repeated “because”), its focus is on what is not said than the anaphora itself.

Here is “Litany for My Father“ by Jessica Abughattas. Check out other great poets and poems at Split This Rock, https://www.splitthisrock.org/poetry-database.

For a second prompt, use one of the lines, perhaps “Because home is too far for the scent of,” for the first line of your poem and go from there. Remember to erase the line and credit the poet for your inspiration with an “after Jessica Abughattas,” or you can use “Ghostline from Jessica Abughattas” in your title if you prefer.

A third prompt is to write a story or poem from the following list: “search,” splayed,” “plastic,” “drive,” “quartz,” “scent,” “beads,” “carving” oven,” “penance” and “upturned.”

Bonus prompt: write a poem describing this old fort or a story in which this is the setting.

Good luck writing this month! Have fun!

Heavenly Foods—Prompts Inspired by Rudy Francisco

I hope you are all jumping in to 30/30 without trouble. I still have to write today’s poem and hope that this wonderful poem by Rudy Francisco can get me started (although I may just have to go to a local restaurant for the plantains instead).

For the first prompt, combine heaven with the comfort food you had as a child. Does it fall from the sky too, does it grow from trees, or is it served at the table with all the loved ones you’ve lost to time. What blessings do you ask for in heaven? What are you given?

The second prompt is Mad Libs writing exercise: replace the nouns and verbs with your own. Once finished, experiment with form: what happens when you break the lines into couplets, quatrains, etc. Remember that this will be likely be to close to the original but works as a beginning draft that you can rewrite (perhaps choosing one line from the exercise to build a new poem from for May, often the month of editing those 30/30 poems).

The third prompt is to create a poem from the following word list: “sky,” “afternoon,” “rain,” “burnt,” “cut,” “step,” “palms,” “buds,” “insides” and “hands.”

The last prompt is to describe what small decadent gift or strange ability you would ask God or some other divinity for. Don’t ask here for health or forgiveness or protection of loved ones or world peace, but for something tactile and gratifying, perhaps so absurd that only you would want that.

Bonus prompt: write a poem (or story) about this flower as a sentient being who begins speaking to you after your first sip of the draw.

Good luck with 30/30! Have fun!!!

The Stars under our Feet—Prompt from Rob Sturma (and Hillary Monaghan)

Thanks, Rob Sturma, for giving me the idea because I finally wrote a poem! Woohoo!

Do what you will with this information. I found this article—https://www.treehugger.com/star-sand-shows-natures-exquisite-attention-detail-4853691—particularly interesting, although I do not know its overall accuracy.

Btw, I will be trying to post weird facts, memes, animal photos and just strange things that might spark a poem.

Good luck writing this month! Have fun!

30/30 IS HERE!!!

It is the 30/30 challenge again! April is National Poetry Month, and the challenge is to write a poem every day for this month. NaPoWriMo.net posts prompts as well as participants’ poems. Check out this month’s prompts and poems as well as those from previous years. You can also submit your own website there to have your poems shared.

I will try to post websites and links to social media accounts that are posting daily prompts along with my own. I will try to post more prompts than usual but won’t put out a new prompt every day. Here is yesterday’s prompt from NapoWriMo.net:

The last couple of years I haven’t finished the challenge, although I have done so previously. I just have to remember that the goal is to write 30 poems, not 30 GOOD poems!

Here is your bonus prompt: write a poem about a moment when you felt yourself break through a period of indecision or blockage.

Good luck writing every day! Have fun!

Definitions—Prompts Inspired by Dorianne Laux

I am grateful to Tresha Faye Haefner (and Ella Braden) for sharing this gorgeous poem by Dorianne Laux.

For the first prompt, take a concrete object (as Laux did with wound) and write your own definition for it. Expand upon that definition as if giving multiple uses (as with “wound” as a “flower” and then a “fire” but circle back to connect the two.

The second prompt is a writing exercise: take this poem and change all the nouns (and the verbs in order to make sense). Now take the third sentence you’ve made to use or another one of your choosing (preferably a sentence in which you’ve changed the verbs) as the first line of a new poem. Do change the first line’s and the entire poem’s structure—break that sentence into separate sentences, the poem into couplets or other form. Be sure to credit the poet for your inspiration.

For the third prompt, take the poet’s “what becomes of us once we’ve been torn apart and returned to our future” for a question to answer in a poem or short story.

Write a poem or story using the following list of words from the poem: “descent,” “scent,” “war,” “torches,” “tinder,” “flame,” “hands,” “torn,” “naked” and “scar.” Try to switch the nouns to verbs and vice versa. As an added constraint, let the poem be a love poem or the story a romance.

The last prompt is to use the line “Say goodbye to disaster” as a title for a poem or story.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Write Your Own Legend—Prompts Inspired by Brendan Constantine

As the dumpster fire of 2024 burns on, I find myself craving escapism in both my reading and writing, and this poem by Brendan Constantine is perfect for me (full disclosure: I always love his poems). If you want to listen to him read it and another poem published by The 2River View, here is the link: https://2river.org/2RView/28_3/poems/constantine.html. [I somehow lost the ability to add hyperlinks to text and use other features on my iPad, hence the delay.]

For the first prompt, write your own legend or fairytale about forgiveness. As here, leave the reader with some mystery.

Or, as in so much of fan fiction, take the thief here and write a poem or story to provide his backstory. Be sure to credit the poet for your inspiration.

The third prompt is to take the line “This time she did as she was told” as a ghostline to begin a new story. Don’t try to finish this story, but create your own, still giving credit to the poet for the starting line. Remember to erase the line, or alternatively, you could keep it as a title, again acknowledging the poet in with an “after Brendan Constantine.”

This next prompt is only an exercise: take this poem and replace the verbs and nouns with those of your own. Now take a line you’ve made in this exercise as the first line for a new poem or story. Be careful that you are not writing too close to the original.

A fourth prompt is to write a fairy tale for “when the world was” not “a forest.” What was the world then? A castle, a broken vase, a high-rise, driftwood, a calculator? Begin there.

The last prompt is to write a love poem or romantic story using the following words: “animal,” “body,” “build,” “storms,” “river,” “hold,” “firelight, “mask,” “touch” and “song.”

Bonus prompt: write about this image as fairytale, bleak warning, however you wish.

Or use this cartoon for inspiration instead.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Reflecting on the Infinite: Prompts Inspired by Mary Ruefle

Today is the start of the new posting schedule—Mondays instead of Sundays (although I often was late). To celebrate my increased potential punctuality, let’s celebrate by starting off with the great Mary Ruefle’s “The Imperial Ambassador of the Infinite,” shared by Simeon Berry (a great poet to follow).

For the first prompt, create a list poem of images that remind you of a particular event. Let readers make the connection.

The second prompt is to use the lines “Except when I run away from home / by hiding under the bed” as a ghostline for a poem or the catalyst for a short story. Remember to erase the lines and credit the poet for your inspiration.

For the third, write a story or poem using the following words: “garden,” “shaded,” “held,” “smashed,” “street,” “loosed,” “mirror,” “drenched,” message,” “stoned” and “forever.”

A final prompt is to create a poem from images of broken objects interspersed with mentions of time and/or the infinite.

Bonus prompt: write a poem or short story based on this image.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

On the Boat—Prompts Inspired by Daniel McGinn

As you’ve noticed, I once again did not post a prompt on Sunday. I think it will be easier for me to post on Monday as Sundays are getting busier for now.

From poems about love to those about death, we are covering all the bases here! I’ve been meaning to post this wonderful poem by Daniel McGinn for a while. I love that it works both as an ekphrastic of the tarot card and as a persona poem of Charon from Greek mythology.

The first prompt is to draw a card from a tarot card deck and flip it over. Write a poem or story that incorporates the card’s imagery and symbolism but also incorporates a well-know character or story from mythology, literature or pop culture. If you prefer, you could combine the card with a current event.

For the second prompt, write about a place in which you “are almost there” / “were always there” in your memory or your dreams. This place can be a house that you lived in as a child, the pervasive forgot-you-had-an-assignment/test school dream, or a recurring dream of a place you have only imagined. What place do you always return?

The third prompt is to use the line “while my back is turned away” as a ghostline for a narrative poem or short story. Tell us what happens next.

For another prompt, build a poem or short story from the following word list: “map,” “need,” “carry,” “just,” “hangs,” “net,” “breath,” “back,” “iron” and “shore.” Try to switch nouns to verbs and vice versa.

The final prompt (pun intended) is to describe the “other shore” and create your own afterlife. What will you find when you reach the shore? Buildings, plants and welcoming loved ones? Dust and wind and a distant wailing? Or perhaps you would prefer to give vague hints from glimpses your narrator takes on the journey across.

Bonus prompt: write a poem or story with the photo above as your setting.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Love Poems—Prompts Inspired by Paige Lewis

Love is such a powerful emotion but so difficult to convey uniquely. Love poems, their language and imagery, often are clichéd and stale especially if abstract and general. Rather than grand proclamations, small personal details often are more effective in showing the passion or caring in a relationship, as demonstrated so beautifully by Paige Lewis here. Btw, you can hear the poem read their poem on the site of the American Academy of Poets if you wish.

For the first prompt, write about a game or joke shared between you and a partner or between two characters. Use everyday language and description rather than metaphors or dramatic language. Avoid using the word “love” directly.

The second prompt is to write a story or poem using the following words: “paints,” “ties,” “corners,” “shadow,” “machine,” “game,” “stretch,” “bed,” “grips” and “kisses.” Try to switch the nouns for verbs and vice versa.

The third prompt does not need to create a love poem or story; just use the line “Our shadows get dirty just like anyone’s, so we take them” as a ghostline. See where it takes you. Remember to erase the line and credit the poet for the inspiration.

The last prompt is to use the line “and watch our shadows warm” for a horror-themed poem or story. Again remember to erase the ghostline and credit the poet.

Bonus prompt: write a poem based on this image.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

What Is a Sonnet or a Poem?—Prompts Inspired by Diane Seuss and Gatekeeping Trolls

Sorry for the delay but a busy week and a head full of fluff. So this post is in response to Twitter drama in which a poet who has elected herself gatekeeper for what is a sonnet or a poem directly attacked Diane Seuss for attention. I doubt I could respond as gracefully and as kindly as Diane Seuss did. Btw, her critic is also the same poet who proclaims erasures and centos are not poems, so while this poet is someone to ignore, asking what makes a poem a poem or a sonnet a sonnet is a good exercise for poets.

While the individual answers differ among poets and readers, most people know what a poem is even if they do not have specific criteria—perhaps it is density of language, rhythm (even if rhyme and meter aren’t needed for most people now) or simply a sense of awe or wonder from reading it. For me, adherence to a form or to accepted conventions is less important than the sense of wonder or surprise created in the reading or hearing of it. There are some poems that are fit all the requirements but are forgettable and others that push the boundaries in such a way that I don’t care if it is technically prose or poetry, I am lost in the world it created. What are your requirements or characteristics a piece of writing must have before you consider it a poem? Do you use the requirements/ingredients when you edit?

Some people have stricter requirements for a sonnet—must be fourteen lines in iambic pentameter in the Shakespearean or Italian/Petrarchan form. Contemporary poets such as Seuss and Terrence Hayes have moved the sonnet into new directs. Other poets, such as Donna Hilbert, have poems that feel like sonnets to me even though they do not consider them as such.

Note that the poem above has fourteen lines but certainly doesn’t follow the classical form. For many modern writers, the key requirement is the volta, or turn, in the poem. For me, there is such a turn in the poem where the narrator says, “what’s to be sad about” and then explains the reasons for sadness. I think on a quick, careless read, this poem could seem stream of consciousness without much craft (as described by another sour-ass gatekeeper), but the language is deliberate, with a thread running throughout and repetition carefully used. I have to admit I am biased though: reading Diane Seuss and getting to hear her read aloud brings me joy. I heartily recommend Still Life with Two Dead Peacocks and a Girl and frank: sonnets and plan to read her earlier collections.

For the first prompt, decide is required for a sonnet and write your own. Decide if you want to go full Petrarchan or modernize the form for yourself.

The second prompt is to write a poem to illustrating what “done for good” means to you.

The third prompt is to write about a “sad day / though not a tragic day.” Let the poem or story build from minor or not-so-minor inconveniences to what underlies most sorrow for you (or humanity in general) but overall keeping the specifics in.

The last prompt is to write a story or poem (a lament?) from the perspective of the taxidermied bear.

Bonus prompt: write about the real Elvis joining this group or what makes Elvis real as an archetype.

And just because I like this photo and the memory of that day with Don and my parents, here is a picture of a canal.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Duly Noted—Prompts Inspired by Kristina Mahr

Because I often get stuck in my head, in the same cycle, subject matter, style or just the same poem in slight variations, I need a new form or process. I particularly love poems that incorporate the language or framework of another field or medium. Footnote poems particularly interest me, although my own attempts are messy and incomplete. Let’s turn to Kristina Mahr’s “Footnotes” for some direction.

Let’s follow Mahr’s process for the first prompt. Write a simple (seemingly uncontroversial) statement and then explain and justify your statement (and the previous footnote) as footnotes. See where this process takes you. You will need to credit the poet.

The second prompt is to take a statement about your life or a value judgment about yourself (e.g. I was a good mother) and argue for or against that statement in the footnotes. What is “good” in this context? My daughter and I discussed how different our criteria are for what makes someone a “good” driver: safety of course but safety through caution or through quick reflexes and handling of the car?

For the last prompt, write a love poem or breakup poem and use footnotes to attempt to define every abstract emotion with a concrete image.

Bonus prompt: write a short story or poem in which this house is the setting of a fairytale or myth.

Have fun! Good luck!

World of Poetry Reading Tomorrow!

I keep sneaking in with real poets. Seriously, all of these poets have books published in multiple languages and are scholars and Ambassadors of Peace, whereas I am researching Skyrim mod load lists even though I no longer have a console to play the game on (my kid has it). So come listen to all of these wonderful poets and see if a bouncer tosses me out.

As usual, I forgot to post the video to the Year Ending Poetry Fiesta reading on Uddan TV. Here is the YouTube link.

Hope to see you tomorrow! I will try to remember to post a link to the reading later in the week. Have a great night!

To the End of Triumph—Prompts Inspired by Jack Gilbert

Jack Gilbert’s poem was shared in a thread of poems with unforgettable lines, as it should be, although it is impossible for me to pick just one line to share.

For the first prompt, do better than I and pick one line that resonates the most with you for a ghostline. Remember to erase the line and give credit to the poet.

The second prompt is to write a poem or story about the moment before the hero’s fall, the ship’s sinking, the last kiss given without any regret or hesitation. You can choose familiar tale or event to describe or create a new one of your own, letting the sweetness last to the very end line or perhaps foreshadowed in the title or opening.

The next prompt is to write a list of failures, small ones that build up to the final breaking but end on a moment of joy.

For the next prompt, write a love poem using the following words: “summer,” “island,” “burning,” “bed,” “nights,” “gentleness,” “mist,” “swimming,” “light” and “coming.”

Bonus prompt: write to the moon in this cold sky and include the sound of waves breaking on the rocks.

Good luck! Have fun!

In the Meantime—Prompts Inspired by Li-Young Lee

All the world loves a love poem and such poems are needed, but, oh, they can be so difficult to write. Let’s turn to Li-Young Lee’s wonderful “To Hold” for inspiration. Thank you, James Crews, for sharing!

For the first prompt, make a list of six tasks you share (or shared) with a lover. Choose the one that resonates most with you and write a set of instructions for that task. Try to include precise details, including movements and sensory description. From that description build a poem or short story.

The second prompt is to write a poem making connections between “mean” (the mathematical definition, a measurement or midpoint; intend; define or demonstrate; humble; or other definitions) and signifiers of time through words in the poem such as “meantime, “one day,” “until,” “then,” “moment” or others and through shifting between verb tenses. See what happens.

The next prompt is a writing exercise. Replace all the nouns and verbs with your own. Now take your fourth and fifth lines from the bottom as your first lines and go from there.

For the last prompt, use the first line, “So we’re dust. In the meantime, my wife [husband, lover, partner, etc]” as a ghostline. Complete the sentence and go from there. Remember to erase the line and give credit to the poet.

Good luck! Have fun!

Moonlit Journeys—Prompts Inspired by Kareem Tayyar

Since I didn’t go for that walk today, let’s be inspired by the lovely imagery of Kareem Tayyar’s poem “Midnight Rambler.” I especially love the lines: “Everywhere the waters whispered themselves / back into the dream of a single river.” Even the sound of the lines is a soft rushing.

If you’d like to read more from Kareem Tayyar, check out his substack.

For the first prompt, write a poem or short story about your own nighttime journey, moving from the tangible to the surreal.

I of course cannot resist using line “the poems the ghosts had written” for a ghostline prompt. Make sure to erase the line and give credit to the poet.

The next prompt is to write a poem using the following words from “Midnight Rambler”: “bloom,” “companion,” “waters,” “single,” “silhouettes,” “bodies,” “pillow,” “illuminated,” “walls” and “arrival.”

For the last prompt, write an apology to a former self you’ve tried to leave.

Bonus prompt: create your own myth or superstition about a ring around the moon.

Good luck! Have fun!

The More of It All—New Year’s Resolution Prompts Inspired by Lia Purpura

Lia Purpura’s “Resolution” hits hard for me. Too often I have held back, thought I should not put myself forward, let fear prevent me from trying something new, denied myself a pleasure to balance a regret only to make more of both. I love how she hears “more” in “morning” and makes music from regrets and reprimands.

I enjoyed her reflection on the poem: “The way whole words and sounds nest in other words and sounds kept the surprises coming. By just recognizing kinned sounds, the poem spoke itself into being in a way that felt independent of my making.” Click here to access the Academy of American Poets website, where you can listen to her read the poem (and also where the quote is published).

The coming year will be a rough one—already our little boats are bobbing wildly on a rising sea of war, genocide, fascism, natural disasters and uncertainty. We know all that we should do but won’t and all that we shouldn’t do but will, so let’s do what we must to moor ourselves to the day.

Let’s have that piece of cake before dinner, before our vegetables even. Yes, we will eat them too, but we can start out with the cake to make sure there’s room. Let’s binge on a comic book or romance or poetry chapbook—whatever will provide a happy escape from bills and the news. We will be good as we can and enjoy the day while we can. Let’s have more.

For the first prompt, use the poem’s first line, “There’s the thing I shouldn’t do” as a ghostline. Remember to erase the line and give credit to the poet.

The second prompt is to write a poem interchanging the words present as in gift with present and present as in now.

The next prompt is to come up with your own nested words to build a poem or a story around. Think of how end is held within friend, that the spelling of a part and apart is the opposite of their meaning, how contradictory sanguine is—both optimistic and bloodthirsty—that words and phrases can have opposite meanings (see this list of contronyms for more examples), or a small word like go can contain so many meanings.

For the last prompt, make a list of necessary tasks and a second list of rewards to give yourself. Burn the first list and write a list poem or short story with the second. Enjoy the smoke.

Bonus prompt: write about this reward (it was delicious) or your favorite dessert.

Write what you want. Have fun!

Year Ending Poetry Fiesta!

I am so excited to participate in The World of Poetry’s Fiesta tomorrow! It will be at 8am Central. Please join me if you can!

It will be recorded as usual. And—as usual—I forgot to post the recording. Here is the YouTube link to the last one I attended in November.

Have a great night! Hope to see you!

A Bright New Day Every Day—Prompts Inspired by Linda Pastan

So I got distracted with the holidays and spending time with family—all good, but again I am behind on posting. Ah, good intentions and road pavement…

But tonight I saw this Linda Pastan poem and Sean Dineen’ response and loved both. Instead of living each day as if it were the last—and likely my desperate attempts to apologize and correct mistakes—I would prefer to experience each day as a first filled “raw astonishment” and no regrets.

For the first prompt, try to create a poem that mirrors that “raw astonishment” in the poem. Start by making a list of historical firsts and weaving one or more of them into your own daily routine, treating each task as if it were the first.

The second prompt is to write a short story or piece of flash fiction in which you describe the first day of sentience for a character or creature.

The third prompt uses the first line, “You tell me to live each day,” as a jumping off point. Avoid using either the standard “as if it were your last” or the poem’s later recommended “as if it were the first” as the impetus. Instead, write about what someone told you or what you wish they had. Because the former is such a common phrase and your goal is to take a different direction than that of the poem, you likely will not need to credit the poet as you would for a regular ghostline.

The last prompt is to write a poem using the following words from the poem: “day,” “race,” “minutes,” “first,” “raw,” “ingénue,” “morning,” “roar,” “clear” and “surface.” If possible, try to write a hopeful poem (this is definitely a challenge for me).

Bonus prompts: write an ekphrastic poem using this photo, or write a surreal poem or short story about this flower hatching as an egg and describing what emerges.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Mermaids and Monsters—Prompts Inspired by Sirianna Helleloid

I love the visceral imagery and rhythm of Sirianna Helleloid’s “Ariel Ignores the Great Master’s Bidding.” This poem has such great wordplay and use of slant rhyme and alliteration that it begs repeated readings.

The first prompt is to choose a mythical creature, fairytale character or a Disney princess and retell the story for modern times, giving your speaker an unlikely profession. Describe a banshee who works as an actuary, the Big Bad Wolf as a venture capitalist or perhaps Sleepy Beauty as a barista. Sometimes making a list of five fairytale characters and a separate list of five professions can be helpful in getting started if you are stuck.

For a second prompt, use the poem’s first line “I crawl my way out of the ocean, grinning. New feet” as a ghostline. Or, begin with the last line “It’s a long swim to the horizon” to jumpstart a story or poem. Remember to erase the line and give credit to the poet.

The third prompt is to write a poem or story from the sisters’ point of view as a response poem. How do they feel about her leaving them for land? How does the story end for them? Don’t forget to reference the original poem and author in your title or as in “after” statement. Do be careful to make this your own telling.

For another prompt, write a poem or story using the following list of words in an urban setting: “blow,” “knees,” “shanties,” “circle,” “bank,” “foam,” “cruise,” “hungers,” “graffiti,” “mirror,” “walls,” “cash” and “horizon.” Where possible, try to switch nouns to verbs and verbs to nouns.

Bonus prompt: write an ekphrastic poem using either of the watercolors by Xiao Faria da Cunha, which accompanied the three poems by Sirianna Helleloid.

Bonus bonus prompt: write a poem or short story from the sand mermaid I made years ago at Newport Beach.

What is she reaching for?

And what does it mean that even the wind will erase her? How temporary is our own existence as the waters rise?

Well, on that last cheerful note, good luck writing! Have fun!

Wonderful Experience with Twin Bird Review

I am so grateful to have a poem published in the latest issue of Twin Bird Review: the editor-in-chief, Amanda K. Horn was wonderful to work with and so encouraging, and the artwork chosen to accompany my piece beautiful. I hope to find more art by Xiao Faria da Cunha. If you have time, check out my poem “Why I Remain a Desperate Party Clown,” inspired by Taylor Mali’s Metaphor Dice prompt.

I enjoyed the poems chosen, particularly the three poems by Sirianna Helleloid. I hope you can check them out and the whole issue. Let me know which poems and stories are your favorite (I haven’t finished reading the fiction or the essay yet).

Have a great night!