Poetry prompts from 1200 Creative Writing Prompts.
Today’s poetry prompts come from my book, 1200 Creative Writing Prompts, which is jam-packed with ideas and inspiration for writers and includes fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction writing prompts.
Some of the poetry prompts in the book ask you to use a list of specific words in a poem. Some give you a topic to write about. Some ask you to draw on your life experience. Some give you images to use as inspiration for a poem.
All of the prompts are designed to spark ideas and inspire you to write. And you don’t have to use the prompts to write poems. Use a prompt to write an essay or a blog post. If you get a prompt that contains a list of words but one of the words isn’t working in your poem, delete it from the list. If one of the images gives you an idea for a story, write a story. Use the prompts in whatever way you see fit.
25 Poetry Prompts from 1200 Creative Writing Prompts
- Write a descriptive poem about a banana split: three scoops of ice cream with banana halves on either side and a big mound of whipped cream on top laced with chocolate sauce and sprinkled with chopped nuts—all topped off with a plump red cherry.
- Use all of the following words in a poem: tapestry, sings, eye, din, collide, slippery, fantasy, casting, chameleon, lives.
- Write a poem about somebody who betrayed you, or write a poem about betrayal.
- Write a poem using the following image: a smashed flower on the sidewalk.
- The hallmark of great poetry is imagery. A truly compelling poem paints a picture and invites the reader into a vivid scene. Choose an image or scene from one of your favorite poems and write a poem of your own based on that image.
- Use all of the following words in a poem: scythe, fresh, bloody, dainty, screaming, deadly, discovery, harrowing.
- Write a poem about one (or both) of your parents. It could be a tribute poem, but it doesn’t have to be.
- Write a poem using the following images: a “no smoking” sign and a pair of fishnet stockings.
- You’re feeling under the weather, so you put the teapot on. Soon it starts to scream. Write a poem about the sound of a whistling teapot.
- Use all of the following words in a poem: stem, canvas, grain, ground, leather, furrow.
- The beach, the mountains, the vast sea, and deep space are all great for tributary poems about places. Write about the city you love, the town you call home, or your favorite vacation destination.
- Write a poem using the following image: a pair of baby shoes.
- Some poems are more than just poems. They tell stories. Try writing a poem that is also a story, a play, or an essay.
- Use all of the following words in a poem: elegant, hips, fern, listless, twisting, bind, surprise.
- Write a poem about the first time you experienced something.
- Write a poem using the following image: a torn photograph.
- Although holidays have deeper meanings, we like to truss them up with a lot of decadence and nostalgia. All that food! All those presents! Oh, what fun it is…Write a poem about the holidays.
- Use all of the following words in a poem: burnt, spacious, metropolis, pacing, fiery, cannon.
- Write a poem about an inanimate object. You can write a silly poem about how much you admire your toaster or you can write a serious piece declaring the magnificence of a book.
- Write a poem using the following image: a small rowboat tied to a pier, bobbing in the water under darkening skies.
- Now that time has healed the wounds, write a poem to someone who broke your heart long ago.
- Use all of the following words in a poem: deadline, boom, children, shallow, dirt, creep, instigate.
- Write a poem about streets, highways, and bridges.
- Write a poem using the following images: a broken bottle and a guitar pick.
- Write a poem about the smell of cheesy, doughy, saucy, spicy pizza baking in the oven.
Did any of these poetry prompts inspire you to write? Which one stoked your creative flames? Did you write a poem, or were you inspired to write something else? Where do you get your best creative inspiration? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment, and keep writing!
This is very helpfull
Thanks, Linda!
What’s the easie#t way for me to get my poems published? I’m 13 and would really like to see my works immortalized.
Why are you looking for the easiest way? The easiest is not always the best.
That would almost certainly be starting a blog and publishing your poems there. For the record, I think this is a fine way to publish poetry, depending on your goals. And the internet certainly immortalizes everything.
Use all of the following words in a poem: tapestry, sings, eye, din, collide, slippery, fantasy, casting, chameleon, lives.Use all of the following words in a poem: tapestry, sings, eye, din, collide, slippery, fantasy, casting, chameleon, lives.
that was prompt #2. this is my poem.
the world is nothing but
a tapestry spun with lives.
The world sings out
calling, calling to everyone
to join and help and make
this one big cloth that
changes color
a chameleon cloth
the casting is made from happiness
but oh
It’s just so slippery
but hang on just as tight
as your fantasy
the life you’re living now.
Your living in the eye of god
It’s not as din as you might think
You collide with oh
so much
you give chances
and take them too
And that’s what life
is all about.
Anushka Joardar, age 11
What a lovely poem, remarkable for your age. Keep writing, Anushka!
I have just finished a novella of poetry and am looking to publish after I flesh out the last few details, but I have found that poetry can be harder to market. Do you have any suggestions there?
Hi Mackenzie. I’m not sure what a “novella of poetry” is. A novella is a short novel (a fictional story). Poetry is usually published in collections. Do you, perhaps, mean a chapbook of poetry?
Writing Forward is about the craft of writing rather than marketing, so I’m afraid we don’t have any marketing tips here. But there are other resources online that focus on marketing.
I have written poems and think writing prompts are very helpful. Here is one of my pieces:
“Storms”
The ground is shaking, splitting the earth
The way my headache splits, unleashing the monsters of my mind and letting them fester.
Rain soaks my skin
The way tears once soaked my cheeks
With salt and sadness.
Now I feel nothing.
The ground still splits
The rain still pours.
The world is moving and I am standing still,
Unable to move with it.
I would LOVE advice.
Lexi, 12
Hi Lexi. Thanks for sharing your poem with us. I’m guessing that “12” is your age? If so, then this is impressive work for someone so young. This isn’t a forum for feedback and advice, but you’ll find plenty of articles and books to guide you in your writing journey. I wish you the best of luck.
Mother Nature and her kingdom are flourishing
Her kingdom provides humans nourishing
Her love for her creation cannot be tamed
All of the land belongs to her, it has been named
Nature’s songs can be heard through the birds
They can’t be explained by words
Her flowers sprinkle fresh smells
The animals all have their stories to tell
She let us borrow her kingdom while it lasts
We were novice to her kingdom in the past
Now, what have we done to her?
We have torn her dress
Mother Nature has become less
Her kingdom is destroyed
Animals have fallen in our cunning ploys
We have become doltish to her
All her once gardens, are now a site of destruction
People have brought ructions to her calm palace
We have left her broken
After she gave us her life, as a token!
Please notify me if there are any errors. After all, I’m pretty young!
Thank you for sharing your poem with us, Ashley. It’s lovely.
really impressive
The Day We Met.
A Poem by Ainsley, Age 13 (Almost 14)
Prompt Number: 3, Getting Betrayed
Note:
Hello! So, this poem is about a close friend I had. But we met online. We never met in person. We planned it all out. Whose house to go to, etc. She lives in New York, While I live In Washington. Then, well, she turned toxic. She was my first ever Internet Friend, and my first crush, as well as the first person who ‘kinda’ asked me out. She was also the only one I could text and or stay on a call with for hours on end and never get bored. We both love ukulele, writing songs, singing, Gacha life, Moriah Elizabeth, singing, roleplaying, videos games, etc. We trusted each other so much, we gave out our full names. After dm-ing on the app for a couple months (The app name is PicsArt Btw), we gave each other our phone numbers. Then go from there. This girl is like, 2 years younger than me. I mention “Jewls” at the end of the poem. That’s her nickname, and that’s what I’ve always called her sense we first shared our names. I also mentioned the word “Blocked” quite a lot. That’s because she’s blocked every single very small amount of social medias I have, which includes one PicsArt Profile, two Pinterest accounts, one Phone Number, four Email Accounts. I literally cannot contact her.
The day we met,
I’ll never forget,
The good times we had on those dark dark days.
The day we met,
You said you’d never forget
The laughs we shared on those boring old days
The day we met
She’ll never forget
That I covered for her on those crazy unfair days
The day we met
I’ll never forget
When we saw each other’s faces on that bright bright day.
The day we fought
I never even thought
That things could turn out in this way
The day we fought
You never even thought
That you could be so cruel today
The day I cried
I barley even tried
To get out of bed when I thought of your face
The day she smiled
On the other side of the world
While I was sat in a puddle of my wounds
Today, this day
She’ll never understand
That I miss her still even if she broke my heart
…and stomped on my dreams
…and crushed my soul
…and slashed my seams
That she turned upside down
that I called her name
That she turned around
Just to laugh in my face
Then I ran away
But I can’t let go
And though she’s moved on
I still seem to know
That one part of her
Maybe misses me?
But then again
Why would she want to make me bleed?
And call me a liar
A fake
A Bitch
A Freak
A creep
A jerk
A maid
A weak?
Why would she say she loved me?
When all she did was dump me
It had only been an hour
And then she said I did something
She got someone else to do a favor
That broke my heart from the start
Then we go around and yell through the keyboard
And in the end, I always get blamed
Doors shut
Now I want to say
“I’m sorry, Jewls, please don’t go away!”
It’s too late now.
It’s been weeks sense that day.
But it feels like
It happened yesterday
Cause I’m still as hurt
And I’m still as torn
As I was the day
We said our last words
Now I’m remembering our times
And saying to myself
“The day we met,
I told you I’d never forget.”
Thank you for sharing this, Ainsley. Keep writing!