50 Fun Poetry Prompts
- write like you are a character in a reality show
- write from the POV of your pet; or what if your pet was a person
- write an ode to somebody: your favorite teacher, a parent, partner, sibling, coworker, aunt or uncle, cousin, etc.
- write about an event you missed and what you imagine it was like
- rewrite a college essay as a poem - either as you were then, or as you are now
- write about the best date you never had
- what a parallel universe might be like
- what you will do if you are a ghost
- write a horror or scary poem
- write about a dream you had
- write any poem without using "I", "we" or "the"
- what you like or hate about your neighborhood
- the best or worst meal you ever had, or recently
- write about a boss or job you had - good, bad, etc.
- the worst or best employee you ever had
- how a previous job impacted your life
- a great or terrible concert experience
- write about a physical or mental health issue you have (claustrophobia)
- the favorite thing in your kitchen; your bedroom; your house
- something you wish had happened in childhood but did not
- feelings about a political or social justice issue
- write about an event or vacation in reverse
- focus on one emotion, one sensation - taste, sight, etc.
- write about something that scared you; was it truly scary or safe / mundane / benign?
- a time when you changed your perspective or mind
- take the perspective of somebody very different than you; e.g., royalty, movie star, fisherman
- try a specific poetry format / style like postcard, haibun, sestina
- react or get inspired by a painting or piece of art
- find a quote and center the poem on it - epigraph
- write about a crime or criminal
- a nature poem - tree, body of water, park, weather, moon/sun, planets
- a poem about a creature - mammal, bug, ocean creature, etc.
- an imaginary family reunion
- a time you were sick / ill / in the hospital
- theme of giving birth, breastfeeding, motherhood / fatherhood
- imagine being abducted by aliens
- write about something you collect - figurines, dolls, plants, dishes, etc.
- a poem about visiting an antique store or thrift store, or an object there
- pull interesting words/phrases from a meeting/podcast/etc. and use in a poem
- find inspiration from a favorite book
- find inspiration from a personal tragedy or something moving in the news
- write about a favorite or reliable piece of clothing
- write about a trip to your favorite place - like the pool, beach, zoo, etc.
- imagine what it's like to be in prison
- pick a number and write a poem with that many lines, or use the number as a theme
- pick a favorite word and use each letter as the start of each line
- randomly pick words from a magazine and use them in a poem
- do stream of consciousness about what is weighing on your mind
- imagine what it would be like to try something new
- write instructions to put together an imaginary machine
