We’ve all been there, pen in hand, waiting for a poem to arrive. Poetry prompts are a great way to get the juices flowing on those inevitable days when a poem doesn’t show up.

The picture below is from a group of visual prompts I’ve collected and posted for my readers under the menu tab “Poetry Prompts.” There are also word prompts with a fun spinning wheel that you can use. You can find all the prompts here.

When I look at this photo, I want to hit the “sound on” button! I want to hear birds chirp, squirrels chitter, and all the calm, peaceful sounds of the forest. Maybe it’s because we are at the end of November and in middle of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season — the serenity of the forest sounds pretty good to me right now. These are the emotions, and this is the poem that today’s photo prompt inspired:

What the Forest Heard

The forest heard...
The whisper of a gentle breeze.
The rustle of a thousand leaves.
The easy song, "fee-bee-bee"
of a black-capped chickadee.
The quiet slide of a cricket's wings—
The forest heard all these things.
And if you come, on tip-toe feet,
find a stump, then take a seat,
you will hear what the forest heard.
Shhh...just listen, don't say a word.

©Danna Smith at poetrypop.com Nov 2024

Now it’s your turn

Look at the photo prompt above. Does it spark any ideas? Now write a poem in any form (free verse, rhyme, acrostic, etc.). Feel free to leave your prompted poem in the comments below (scroll way down).

I know it can be scary to share your poems with others. If you are feeling “iffy” about sharing here on Poetry Pop, I’ve created settings to allow you to do so. Just reply without signing into your WordPress account.

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