Writing Prompt: Poetry

Have you ever had the desire to write poetry but didn’t know where to begin? Writing poetry can seem intimidating if you try to limit yourself to specific formats or compare your writing to Shakespeare. Writing poetry can also be liberating and fun if you follow your instincts and write for yourself. (Check out this blog post about writing poetry as part of your self-care routine: Poetry as self-care.)

The author Joseph Fasano has been sharing his poetry and poetry prompts online as a way to encourage everyone to give it a try. Writers and teachers have been sharing the work they or their students have created from these poetry prompts and the results are amazing. 

I used this poetry prompt, My Poem, with a group in our Creative Mindfulness with Art session and everyone loved the challenge. Do you want to try it? Here is the prompt:

My Poem : a prompt from Joseph Fasano
MY POEM (Title)
My name is (name).
Today I feel like a/an (adjective) (noun) (verb)ing in the (noun).
Sometimes I am a/an (noun).
Sometimes I am a/an (noun).
But always I am (adjective).
I ask the world, “(question)?”

And the answer is
            a/an (repeat your words from line 2)

Drifting
This is my poem written using the prompt:

Drifting
My name is Kelly.
Today I feel like a thin cloud drifting in the sky.
Sometimes I am a stone.
Sometimes I am a breeze.
But always I am strong.
I ask the world, “where to next?”

And the answer is
            a thin cloud drifting in the sky

Try This

Use the prompt above to write your own poem! Don’t overthink it. When I wrote my example I began with the first thing that came to mind, a thin cloud drifting in the sky. I was sitting outside on my porch and noticed the clouds in the sky. That was it. I used that image of the thin clouds drifting in the sky and then used words to connect every other part of the poem to that first image. 

I would love to see what you come up with! Please share the results with us on our Facebook group. 

References:

• Joseph Fasano
• Examples of poems using Joseph Fasanos prompts
• A selection of Joseph Fasano poetry prompts