2024 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 16
For today’s prompt, take the phrase “Poem for (blank),” replace the blank with a new word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “Poem for the Moon,” “Poem for My Parents,” “Poem for a Rainy Day,” “Poem for Mike Tyson,” and/or “Poem for Procrastinating on Folding the Laundry (Again).”
Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.
Note on commenting: If you wish to comment on the site, go to Disqus to create a free new account, verify your account on this site below (one-time thing), and then comment away. It’s free, easy, and the comments (for the most part) don’t require manual approval like on the old site.
*****
Write a poem every single day of the year with Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming. After sharing more than a thousand prompts and prompting hundreds of thousands of poems for more than a decade, Brewer picked 365 of his favorite poetry prompts here.
*****
Here’s my attempt at a Poem for Blank Poem:
“Poem for One Who Doesn’t Like Poetry,” by Robert Lee Brewer
Let’s pretend, for a moment anyway,
that this is not a poem. Instead, say
it’s a weather report or transmission
from another planet or dimension.
Imagine, if you will, it’s important
to comprehend the meaning and to want
a structure you can’t see, but maybe feel–
and maybe, just maybe, that makes it real,
this poem that’s not a poem but is
and a poem lover who hates the biz.
I’m not saying you don’t hate poetry;
who knows? It is possible that you do.
But if singing song lyrics sets you free,
it’s hard for me to pretend that is true.
(Note on this poem: This poem was inspired by a recent Facebook status update by poet Joseph Mills about an audience member who liked his poems, even though the audience member also claimed to not like poetry.)