April is National Poetry Writing Month, and many poets like to challenge themselves to write a poem a day. With that in mind, Wild Violet will be sharing poetry prompts each day: one geared towards adults and one for kids.
If you write a poem based on this prompt, feel free to share a link to your poem, or the poem itself, in the comments. Poems appearing in the comments are not considered published in Wild Violet, and you retain all rights to your work.
Overheard
For adults:
While some poets prefer solitude, others seek social activity for ideas. Overhearing a conversation can provide fuel for the imagination. Start with a line spoken by someone in your household, or a telephone solicitor, or from a television show, or from a neighbor talking loudly on a cell phone outside. Then springboard from that: fill in the conversation, or mount your own response, or continue to add more random lines with your commentary. For examples, read Jorie Graham’s “Overheard in the Herd,” Terry Collett’s “Conversation Overheard,” or for a more outlandish take on the overheard poem, read “Overheard on a Salt Marsh” by Harold Monro.
For children:
Do you sometimes hear someone say something that makes you think, or laugh? Try starting a poem by using a quote from someone, using the following steps.
- Find a quote to use. It could be something that someone in your family said, or someone on TV, or even someone in a book. Use that as the first line.
- Use the quote to inspire your writing. What does the quote make you think about? Do you want to respond to it? Does it make you imagine something else?
Fred Flintstone and Dino
“He sits there in front of the TV set and tries to bite me.”
He’s also a slob, leaving messes everywhere.
He eats a hundred pounds of pterodactyl meat a week.
He drags me down the street by a leash.
But I have to admit, I love the big lug.
I guess I’ll keep Fred.
About Alyce Wilson
