Sometimes, a single prompt is enough to have you thinking about the deepest mysteries of the world. It could have you think about the intricacies of death, or even the little star that twinkled as though it was smiling down at you.
Here are 9 poetry prompts (and a moodboard) curated to help you paint the ether with your words onto paper. After each prompt, I've given some intuition on what it means to me. Feel free to interpret it the way you want. You may use the exact phrase, or write a poem titled from these, or write something inspired by it. In the end, there's a moodboard to give you some visual inspiration.
May the words find you!
1. melting moon
Wouldn't it be lovely if the moon melted and we caught its drops with our tongue like how we do the same with rain drops? How would it taste, what would it look like from close? Why is the moon melting in the first place? Find the answers to these questions and compose a poem inspired by them.
2. shattering sunlight
There are days when the sun casts a lazy blanket over the earth. And then on other days, the sunlight can get so bright, it's almost as though it would break through glass windows, ricocheting off walls, until it finally hits us in the eye. Write a poem either titled Shattering Sunlight or use this phrase to inspire your writing.
3. the sun splits apart
Imagine the sun, in all its enormity, one day decides to split into two. Maybe the sun too is too tired keeping its shambles tied together, until one day, it splits apart. Or, is there someone, someone on this Earth carrying the power to have even the sun break itself apart for them?
4. purple skies with spilt cotton candy clouds
The sky is but the greatest canvas.
On some days it looks as though an artist whilst painting, tossed a piece of cotton candy into their mouth, stray bits falling here and there—our clouds. You are the artist and your words even if strewn across, are as beautiful as those cotton candy clouds.
5. star studded
The night sky augmented with diamonds. I cannot think of anything more beautiful. Or maybe there is. Star studded eyes, star studded skin. Take this anywhere you want to.
6. moon half-bitten off
Some days the moon looks like a giant piece of white chocolate. And it slowly reduces, as though the dark sky bites it off, like the edges of one of those chocolate bars. Don't you think? If the moon is being bitten off, who or what has the power to do the eating?
7. galaxies in the eyes
Swirling fumes, stellar remnants and drops of milk all in someone's eyes. A young child just beginning to see the world. Or a lost lover whose face one may not remember but eyes one cannot forget. Where do you find galaxies?
8. pitch black
Close your eyes in a dark room for a few minutes. What do you see? Are there phosphenes beneath your eyelids? What pictures do they paint? Do they form words? Or is all you see a pitch black void?
9. lucent nights
Lucent refers to the glowing of something. It brings to my mind the image of the full moon in its prime—a bright orb of ebony and gold. On these lucent nights, what do you see?
10. forest of stars
If the sky was a forest of stars, what lurks amidst it? Imagine yourself walking in a forest of stars. What would you see apart from the stars? What sounds do you hear? Either explore these ideas or use these words as they are!
11. the sky descends
Clouds spilling down as water, rain they call it. It more ways than one, it does seem like the sky is descending, doesn't it?
12. clouds dancing
If you frequently watch the clouds moving about, you'd agree with me when I say they look like they're all performing a grand dance. The birds singing their songs would be the orchestral music to this dance. On some days, it looks like the clouds are just learning to walk, learning to crawl. Include these comparisons or similar ones in a poem.
I hope these prompts help your poems. Feel free to interpret them as you like, change the words here and there, and write a poem close to your heart. Don't forget to share the poems you write based on these prompts in the Poetry Cove's Forum for others to enjoy or for feedback!
