15 Poetry Prompts

Below, I've listed fifteen random poetry prompts, some I've used, and some I've never used. Some I made up off the top of my head; others were taught to me by various teachers and writers over the years.

If you're a regular visitor to my blog, let me apologize for my lack of posts. I've no other excuse save this:  I teach college composition, and I've been doing a *lot* of grading.

If one of the prompts below leads to a particularly interesting poem, please feel free to send it to me at [email protected].  I'd love to read it.

1. Write a poem that is an anti-epiphany. The speaker must realize something in the third or fourth line of the poem. By the final line, the speaker must realize he or she is wrong.
2. Write a poem about your favorite day of the week.
3. Write a poem and title “In [Your Favorite Writer’s] Country.” Try to imagine that particular writer’s style in the poem.
4. Write a prose poem that’s about reading poetry.
5. Write a lineated poem that’s about reading prose.
6. Write a poem in which you refer to yourself as “you” throughout. See Richard Hugo’s work for numerous examples.
7. Write a poem in which the title is the title of a favorite song (pop, jazz, blues, or otherwise). Do not refer to the song in the poem.
8. Write a poem about zombies.
9. Write a poem in which the speaker observes a man and a woman at dinner (possibly on a date).
10. Write a poem in the form of a grocery list.
11. Write a poem that in some way parodies your own work.
12. Write a poem about performing action (like, say, reading or jogging) that describes that action at length. The poem should ultimately not be about that action at all.
13. Write a poem about a town you’ve never been to.
14. Write a poem about the first time you ever went swimming.
15. Write a poem in the form of a letter.  In the title, mention a season of the year (e.g. “Letter to Bill in Summer”).

If you enjoy this kind of thing, be sure to visit Robert Lee Brewer's website, Poetic Asides. A  He posts weekly poetry prompts and advice for writers. 

Drop me a line below if you have any ideas for writing prompts.