Poems and Prompts: Examples
Paul Stevenson
pwstevenson@cox.net
Mathematics
“Numbers” - Mary Cornish - Prompt: Write a poem about numbers.
“Zeno's Paradox” – R. G. Evans - Prompt: Write a poem about the distance that separates us.
“Lines” - Martha Collins - Prompt: Write a poem about a geometric figure (circle, square, triangle, etc.)
Letters
“The Names” (9/11 poem) – Billy Collins - Prompt: Write a poem beginning each line with a letter of the alphabet.
Point of View
“A Certain Swirl” – Mary Ruefle - Write a poem from the point of view of an inanimate object.
“Winter Afternoon” – Grace Paley - Prompt: Write a poem which includes multiple points of view or write a poem
which uses spaces as mini-line brakes and punctuation.
Ode
“An Ode” - Bobbie Townsend – Write a poem that is an ode (a poem of praise) to a body part (school appropriate).
“Ode to Broken Hearts” – Maddison Ross- Prompt: Write an ode (a poem of praise) to something that brings wonder
and joy.
Model
“Litany” – Billy Collins – Prompt – Write a poem using the structure of “Litany” but with a different topic.
“Three Observations” – Mary Kendall - Prompt: Write a poem composed of three observations.
Theme
“Lies My Mother Told Me” – Elizabeth Thomas - Prompt: Write a poem about the “lies my ________told me” or
“truths my _____ told me”.
“Halloween” - Mac Hammond - Prompt: Write a poem about a holiday.
Subject
“Wind Chill” - Linda Pastan - Prompt: Write a poem about fall or winter which develops an emotion through
imagery and metaphor.
“Missoula in a Dusty Light” – John Haines - Prompt: Use vivid imagery to write a poem about twilight in a place
you know well.
Emotions
“Tuesday 9:00 AM” – Denver Butson - Prompt: Write a poem in which emotional states are portrayed as concrete
images.
“The Lovers” – Reed Whittemore - Prompt: Write a poem which illustrates a change in perception based on an
emotional state.
Extended Metaphor
“My Life a Fog” – James M. Thompson – Write a poem that uses an extended metaphor for yourself.
“My Mother Was No White Dove” – Reginald Shepherd - Prompt: Write a poem beginning with “My _______ was
no ________” Use metaphors to create a positive, negative or complex portrait.
First/Last Lines
“We Who Are Your Closest Friends” – Phillip Lopate - Prompt: write a poem that begins: “We who are your closest
friends feel the time has come to tell you….”
“Tonight I Can Write” - Pablo Neruda, Translated by W. S. Merwin - Prompt: Write a poem that begins with the
line, “Tonight I can write….”
“Time Somebody Told Me” - Quantedius Hall - Prompt: Write a poem beginning with: “It was time someone told
me….”
“Have You Ever Felt Like a Wounded Cow” – Richard Brautigan – Prompt: Write a poem beginning with a
question.
Line Breaks/ Punctuation/Capitalization
“Jump Cabling”- Linda Pastan - Prompt: Write a poem in which the line breaks and spacing reinforce the central
idea.
“A Poem” - Linda Harpe - Prompt: Write a poem that begins “A poem should be….” Using line breaks as
punctuation.
“De Soleil” - Rhian Beutler - Prompt: Write a poem about light using line breaks to indicate pauses, but using no
capitalization or punctuation.
“Emergence” - Cee Lewars - Prompt: Write a poem made up of short phrases.
“Buffalo Bill’s”, “in Just”, “into the strenuous briefness”, “l(a” - e.e. cummings - Prompt: Write a poem
experimenting with language and structure.
Theme
“Lies My Mother Told Me” –Elizabeth Thomas - Prompt: Write a poem about the “lies my ________told me” or the
“truths my _____ told me”.
“Halloween” - Mac Hammond - Prompt: Write a poem about a holiday.
Subject
“Wind Chill” - Linda Pastan - Prompt: Write a poem about fall or winter which develops an emotion through
imagery and metaphor.
“Missoula in a Dusty Light” – John Haines - Prompt: Use vivid imagery to write a poem about twilight in a place
you know well.
Emotions
“Tuesday 9:00 AM” – Denver Butson - Prompt: Write a poem in which emotional states are portrayed as concrete
images.
“The Lovers” – Reed Whitmore - Prompt: Write a poem which illustrates a change in perception based on an
emotional state.
Organizing Device
“Trigger Guard” - Joanna Fuhrman - Prompt: Write a poem based on the organizing device: “In the ______
version….”
“Homage to My Hips” - Lucille Clifton - Prompt: Write a poem using repetition as an organizing principle.
“Flight” - T. L. Massey - Prompt: Write a poem which has several stanzas, each of which begins with a repetitive
first line.
“Have You Ever Felt Like a Wounded Cow” - Richard Brautigan - Prompt Write a poem that begins with a question.
Music/Art
“This Night Only” – Kenneth Rexroth - [Eric Satie: GYMNOPÉDIE #1] - Prompt: Write a poem write a poem
inspired by a piece of music or write a poem about a romantic or otherwise emotional moment.
“The Starry Night” – Anne Sexton - [Vincent Van Gogh] - Prompt: Write a poem based on a painting.
Web Resources
E-mail poem-a-day sites:
The Writer's Almanac [newsletter@americanpublicmedia.org]
Poem-a-Day – Academy of American Poets [http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem-day]
Poetry on the web:
http:www.poemhunter.com
http://www.poets.org
http://www.poetryfoundation.org
http://www.creative-writing-now.com