Poetry prompts inspired by nature.
Throughout the centuries, poets have composed meditations on seasons, landscapes, and constellations. Vegetation and animals have been the subjects of countless poems, and even when poetry is not centered around nature, it often makes references to it. In poetry, nature can function as a backdrop, or it can hold center stage.
Why are so many poets compelled to write about nature? Consider the closing stanza from “Crossings” by Ravi Shankar:
Suspended in this ephemeral moment
after leaving a forest, before entering
a field, the nature of reality is revealed.(Source: poets.org)
Words like forest and field hint at nature’s presence in this piece, but the closing line cleverly reminds us that nature is not present in individual words. Nature is reality, and it’s everywhere, all the time.
Poetry Prompts
Poetry prompts are a great way to start a writing session when you’re feeling uninspired or when you simply want to try something new. Maybe you’ve never written a poem before. Maybe you’ve never written about nature. Maybe you’ve never tackled a writing exercise. Whatever your reason, these poetry prompts are meant to provide loose guidelines for kick-starting your creativity and get you pushing your pen across the page.
Below you’ll find a list of words that relate to nature. These words are your poetry prompts. You can use these prompts in several different ways: You can choose a single word and build a poem around it as a topic. You can choose a handful of words (about five would be good) and use those words to kick off different lines or verses. Or you can challenge yourself to write a single poem with all of the words included in it.
As you read through the list and choose which words will act as prompts for your poem, relax. Engage your imagination and visualize different images that these words might describe. Build actions with them. String them together with words from your own vocabulary. Put them in lines and verses. And make a poem.
| lava droplet gazelle bloom nest |
snake moon chirp field stream |
grasshopper hiss seed fur forest |
sunlight energy metamorphosis prey birth |
Do you ever use poetry prompts? What was your experience? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment. And keep writing!
Thank you for making lava your first word. 🙂
Mr. Shankar is so right. Where I am, there are areas where you just step off the paved road, walk a few feet and, yes, “the quality of air alters, an eclipse lifts.” I kid you not! Escape!
The forest takes center stage then and in my wanna-be novel.
LOL, I’m not sure where lava came from, but once that word popped into my head, I tried going for unexpected words–not words like flowers, birds, and bees. Also, I was aiming for words that could function as various parts of speech (snake can be a noun or a verb). I lived on Maui for a few months many years ago, and I know what you mean. The air is different when you’re beyond the city or the suburbs. It’s beautiful, refreshing, healthy, and inspiring.
Good morning. I was recently published in the spring print edition of The Avocet. This amazed me because up until I began promoting poets I never realized how much I used poetry in my every-day life.
Wind, rain, fire, earth, ocean rocks, cliffs and mountains inspire me. But I don’t write so much about what they look like, because I’m totally blind. Instead I focus on warmth, hard, frozen, dank, salty, and other descriptions. I love this post and came upon it quite by accident. Or, was it?
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Patty, and congratulations on getting published! That’s wonderful. Keep writing!
The first thing that popped into my head while I was reading the list was “The lava snake mooned the grasshopper.” I’m not sure where to go from there, except to cut down on my sugar intake.
Ha! That’s so awesome! I think your sugar intake is just fine 😉
Well, maybe. But I’m pretty sure the grape flavored licorice was a mistake.
Well, I have to admit — it doesn’t sound very tasty.
This isn’t new, but the snake word reminded me of it.
A silent ribbon gently flows
from where my garden usually grows.
Winding through the now dead rows
back to hiding, sliding, it goes.
I like this because it could be a snake or a stream — it could be a stream snaking through the garden or a snake streaming through the garden. Love the wordplay, Mikel!
Thanks.
I love prompts, they help me clear my thoughts.
Thanks, Betty. I agree that prompts are helpful for clearing the mind!
Oops…had time to write but not to proof read, apparently. Here we go again:
Stalking November
Death arrived in a white room,
under stethoscope and fluorescent light.
Sunlight failing, hope failed.
I carried his body home to rest and wait.
Morning bloomed despite the darkness.
In the forest I cut roots and dug earth.
Made room for fur and bone.
Bringing him there,
we spoke his name under moonlight and flashlight.
Walked home empty, looking back too often.
Today, Sarah wakes me in tears,
his absence snakes into us in dreams.
At the back door, only grasshoppers and leaves.
In his earthen nest, he is beyond last goodbyes.
There are none.
The birds have become bold.
They chirp his absence to one another.
Cracking seeds without pity.
Beautiful, Stacy. Thank you for sharing your poem here.
Thanks for giving me creative outlet for missing Max, our cat. I was excited to see that when my seven-year-old read this, it made sense to her. I think I just may be a writer 😉
You’re welcome. I’m glad you found a beneficial outlet for your bereavement. Keep writing! Sounds to me like you are a writer indeed.
This is a beautiful poem! 🙂
I wrote a response to this in my blog:
http://beespoetry.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/springtime-in-a-field/
~kittens~
two blue eyes, droplet-sized
blink open, and look up at me
as the kitten attempts to stand.
Realizing he cannot,
he drags his tiny body
toward his mother, who awaits
the newborn and his siblings
to feed;
I reach out with gentle hands
and pick up the struggling kitten,
depositing him next to his mother
as the rest of the litter
feeds on mother’s milk.
That’s lovely, Andrea! It makes me miss the days when my cat was a little kitten.
Another dawn and the sky begins to appear
The streaks of light force the lingering darkness to disappear;
A quaint chirp from an unknown nest
breaks the calm and greets the morn.
The sun reaches high above the horizon
And shows-off its lava-like rays,
Field of flowers in full bloom dance to a gentle breeze.
A gazelle ambles along searching for a source of water;
The gurgling sound reaches the ear of the thirsty creature.
The steady stream with silvery waters hurtles along,
And on and on draining into a mighty river,
A life-source for any, and a home for many,
It happily plays its part with sweet harmony.
The dusk arrives and pulls the curtains down,
And it’s time for the moon to mesmerize;
The hiss of the hunter and the squeak of its prey
All plays out under her mystical gaze .
Thank you for sharing this lovely poem, Peter.
Thanks,Melissa for the wonderful poetry-prompts. It really helps when the muse is away,which is most of the time in my case.
You’re welcome, Peter!
March Blossoms
Tree limbs sport strange buds
Lovely bright blue flower blooms
Windblown shopping bags
I love the contrast of the shopping bags. Nice!
I do sometimes write poetry prompts and I have produced some interesting poems that way. Nice post.
Thanks, Robbie.
I came up with this
Change takes place
Through metamorphosis into identity
A seed ready to expand
In the dark forest there is a shift of light
Pinpointing warmth
The snake prepares sly, still,poised
To envelope its prey
Gazelle speeds with elegant energy
Sleek and quick alert to danger.
Thank you for sharing your poem! Lovely.