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Hey friend,
It's April, which means it's National Poetry Month — the one time of year when poets get the spotlight and the rest of us quietly wonder if we should try writing a poem too.
Here's my take: you should. Not because you need to be good at it, and definitely not because you need to share it. Poetry is one of the few forms where writing badly is part of the point. You get to play with language, break your own rules, and finish something in the time it takes to drink a coffee.
So in the spirit of the month, I pulled three well-loved poetry prompts from writers I admire — and put a small spin on each one. Think of them as warm-ups, not assignments. Pick whichever one tugs at you.
1. Ted Kooser's "small thing" prompt — with a twist Kooser famously encouraged writers to notice something small and ordinary, and describe it with care. The original: write about an object on your desk. My spin: write about an object on your desk as if it were the last one of its kind on earth. Same paperclip, suddenly a relic.
2. Mary Oliver's "pay attention" prompt — with a twist Oliver's instructions for living a life were simple: pay attention, be astonished, tell about it. The original: write about something in nature you noticed today. My spin: write about something in nature you noticed today from the perspective of something else that also noticed it. The bee and the bench have different stories.
3. William Carlos Williams' "this is just to say" prompt — with a twist You know the one — the plums in the icebox, the apology that isn't quite an apology. The original: write a poem that's a confession disguised as a note. My spin: write the reply. What would the person who owned those plums say back?
Try one. Try all three. Try none and just read a poem today instead — that counts too.
Happy writing, Mechi
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