Friday, April 20, 2012

Theatrical madness

Theatrical madness
Roads to madness
Can I play with madness?
Dancing in madness
Labyrinth of madness

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Berrylistious

Write a list poem of ice cream flavors.

A list poem will usually have an introduction and conclusion to give a reason for the list. Generally list poems don't rhyme, but the inspiration for this prompt has rhyming couplets of flavors. So try generating a list of flavors (like berry and cherry) that rhyme before enhancing them. It will help the flow and maintain interest if there's a pattern with periodic surprises. Often the last item will feel like a conclusions being particularly exceptional or tying the items together.

credit
Inspired by Jack Prelutsky's Bleezer's Ice Cream.  Bruce Lansky has written the amusing How to Write a "What Bugs Me" List Poem and How to Write "A Lunch for your Teacher" Poem for kids.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Lair of pines

Spoonerisms are named after William Archibald Spooner who was prone to switching the initial sounds of words. The rather poetic thing about spoonerisms is they naturally rhyme.

Create rhyming couplets using pairs of Spoonerisms, such as:

Stuffing down a ground beef,
the dumped lover bound his grief.

Here's a bunch to choose from. Or, of course, come up with your own.

buns glazing
rental deceptionist
ducky lay
hot Poles
candle with hair
blushing crow
plaster man
mad banners
a well-boiled icicle (well-oiled bicycle)
sock my knocks off
chewing doors (doing chores)
clappy as a ham
go shake a tower (take a shower)
roaring pain (pouring rain)
chilled grease
spew up your screech
as the flow cries
bound grief
sues and shocks
brunch lake
shoving leopard
fighting a liar
know your blows
go shake a tower
tease my ears
nicking your pose
lack of pies
roaring with pain
sealing the hick
go help me sod
pit nicking
bowel feast
damp stealer
wave the sails
mad bunny
pun fart
bunny phone
flutter by
bedding wells
mend the sail
zips are lipped
belly jeans
eye ball (bye all)
fight in your race
hiss and lear (listen hear)
soul of ballad (bowl of salad)
cattle ships and bruisers
nosey little cook (cozy little nook
tons of soil
hags flung out
half-warmed-fish

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Friday, April 06, 2012

Madder red

Madder red
Burning blue
Mellow yellow
Bitter green
Bruised orange
Frenzied purple

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Poem baggery

Cut up a paper bag (phone book page, newspaper, ...) into 20 pieces of various sizes. Write 20 words on the pieces. Any 20 words. Mix them up then shuffle them into a poem. Or intriguing phrases to  use in a writing piece.

From Day 138 in The Aspiring Poet's Journal

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

30 Writing Prompts for National Poetry Month

Kelli Russell Agodon listed 30 Writing Prompts for National Poetry Month a couple of years ago. Nearly all are friendly to non-self-reflective poets. :-)

  1. Write a really ugly poem.
  2. Quickly pick out 12 words from the titles of books on a nearby bookshelf. Use them in a poem.
  3. Write a poem with an invented biography for yourself.
  4. Take a 1-2 page poem from a book and re-type it backwards—from the very last word in the poem all the way to the very first, keeping the lines the same lengths as they are in the book. Use this as the starting point of a poem, picking out the word formations that are particularly interesting to you.

More at Book of Kells blog (and in the Comments in case it disappears.)