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Let’s be honest, as enjoyable as it is, writing can be difficult especially when you are feeling uninspired. Starting from a completely blank page can be daunting and might make you want to put off writing until you get that “aha” moment.
This is especially true when it comes to poems. Since they are so short, you want every word to be well thought out and every line to be exquisite.
However, you might be waiting a while before that perfect idea ever comes. The best way to become a better writer and a better poet is to write more even when you feel uninspired.
This is where writing prompts for poets come in! They are honestly a great way of feeling inspired and they open up the doors to so many amazing ideas.
With the following writing prompts for poems, there are no rules. You can use the general idea behind the prompts to form your poem or simply use them as the first line of your poem.
The important thing is that you don’t have to start your poem from a blank page, and you can let these prompts encourage your creativity.
Table of Contents
Categories
I have separated the following prompts into 7 different categories so if you are looking to write a poem on a particular subject, you may go to that specific section of the article.
Writing prompts about love
Love is such a complex human emotion, isn’t it? It brings us both joy and pain, bliss, and sorrow. There are many different types of love, and many ways love affects us. It is only natural that love would be the subject of many poems. When searching for inspiration for poems about love, try thinking of all the different ways this emotion is expressed. What are the different ways love can heal and hurt people?
Prompts
- The love of a mother: Write about how strong the love of a mother is for her children.
2. The burden of a lover: Write about how difficult it can be to manage the weight of the expectations of a significant other.
3. The truth about love: Is love really what we think it is? Or is it something entirely different?
4. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin: Write about the similarities between love and hate
5. Let’s fall in love just for today: Write about two people who fell in love just for one day and never saw each other again.
6. Why is it so painful to love: Write a poem explaining why love can be so painful.
7. It takes courage to love without restraint: Write about how loving someone without holding back is something that takes courage.
8. How beautiful the love of a father for his daughter: Write a poem about the love a father has for his daughter.
9. My Love for her/him is but a fleeting memory: Write about someone slowly forgetting the moments they had with an ex-lover due to sickness (Ex: Alzheimer’s, dementia, amnesia, etc.)
10. I give you all that I am, and I ask you nothing in return: Write about how it feels to love someone unconditionally.
11. Can anyone really love for free: Write about the different costs of love.
12. The burden of feeling undeserving of love: Write about someone feeling undeserving of their lover and how that pain translates into the relationship. You can also use this prompt for platonic or parental love. For example, you could write about a person feeling undeserving of a friendship or a child feeling like they failed their parent.
13. How painful it is to think that the person you love, wouldn’t notice if you disappeared tomorrow: Write about the pain of unrequited love.
14. I never knew love and love never knew me: Write about someone who has never experienced love in their life. Your poem could focus on either the pain of never experiencing romantic love or any other type of love.
15. When will my heart give up chasing ways to fill the void: Write about someone who is searching for ways to heal a wound caused by heartbreak.
16. I’m drowning in an endless ocean of emotion: Write about someone feeling overwhelmed with their emotions.
17. The boat has set sail and I’m on my way to find my lover: Write about someone who is on a journey to get back to their lover.
18. Love is like a sickness: Describe love like it was a sickness. What are the symptoms? How is it diagnosed? Can you heal from love?
19. I bleed every time I fall for someone: Write about someone who gets hurt every time they fall in love.
20. The way you look at her is the way I look at you: Write about someone who is observing their significant other/crush fall in love with someone else.
Inspiration can sometimes come from the words of others. So, to further inspire you, here are a few of my favorite quotes about love.
Quotes:
“There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.”– Jane Austen
“Love ceases to be a pleasure when it ceases to be a secret.”- Aphra Behn
“He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”– Emily Brontë
“I would like to be the air that inhabits you for a moment only. I would like to be that unnoticed and that necessary.” ― Margaret Atwood
Books containing Love Poems
Writing Prompts about Opposites
There is such beauty in opposites. It is always fascinating when two things seem like they don’t belong together, yet they are intertwined and inseparable. Writing about opposites can be a great way to ignite the creative flame in you.
Prompts
21. The kindness of a villain: Write about a ‘bad’ person showing kindness in a surprising way.
22. The wickedness of a hero: Write about a ‘good’ person having malicious intentions.
23. The beauty of scars: Describe scars or other body imperfections as being the most beautiful thing.
24. The chaos necessary for peace: Explore the relationship between chaos and peace. Can one really exist entirely without the other? Is there a baseline level of chaos needed for peace to actually exist?
25. The peace we find in chaos: Write about someone finding peace in something that would usually be considered chaotic.
26. An expected surprise: Describe an event that is expected but also a surprise. An example of this would be death. It is expected that everyone will die someday but that still doesn’t stop it from being surprising when it actually happens.
27. A sinful innocence: In your poem, explain how innocence and sin are connected, and is there such a thing as being too innocent (to the point where it becomes a sin)?
28. He was a loyal traitor: Describe a situation where someone would be both loyal and yet a traitor.
29. Where hell meets heaven: Imagine a place where heaven meets hell. What would it be like? Who would it be for?
30. A grey rainbow: Describe gradients of grey as if they were a rainbow. Explore the relationship between the colorful and the colorless.
31. The happiness of grief: Write about someone finally finding happiness after experiencing a period of grief.
32. The happiest person in the room is also the saddest person in the room: Describe a person that is happy on the exterior but sad internally.
33. When the young meet the old: Describe what happens when a very old person meets a very young person. What would they talk about? What would they agree/disagree on?
34. When the bully becomes the bullied: Write about the experience of people who were once the bullies and became the bullied. How would that person process such a switch? What would they learn from it?
35. Why crying brings peace: Describe the process of crying and how we often feel a weight lifted off our shoulders afterward
Writing Prompts about the supernatural
Supernatural phenomena have always piqued the interest of many creatives. Writing a poem based on the supernatural can be a great way to let your creativity run wild. With this subject, your poem is not bound by the constraints of reality. You can abord topics such as magic, ghosts, or even superpowers to convey meaning and emotion in an innovative way.
Prompts
36. The magic within her eyes: Write about a person who has a significant other that has a special power. An example would be every time the significant other experience a certain emotion, their eyes change color. Write your poem from the perspective of the person without the powers. Have them describe how they feel about this aspect of their relationship. Do the powers of their significant other scare them or do they think it’s beautiful?
37. The powers within: Describe someone coming to terms with the fact that they have supernatural abilities.
38. Is love really the closest thing to magic: Describe the relationship between love and magic. Is love really the closest thing to magic?
39. An alien friend: Write about a human forming a friendship with an alien creature.
40. The invisible people know all: Write about a group of people who have the ability to become invisible. What are these people like? What are the kinds of things they witness when they are invisible?
41. Flying at a bird’s eye view: Write about a person developing the ability to fly and describe what that person would see and what they would feel as they are flying.
42. Everyone has their own monsters: Write about a world/city where everyone’s deepest insecurities and flaws are transformed into real monsters. These monsters follow around the people they are associated with. How would a world where everyone’s flaws are on display work?
43. The hero who couldn’t save himself: Write about a hero who spent his life saving others and died tragically.
44. Come with me to my secret city: Describe someone’s internal thoughts and inner world as if it were an actual city.
45. The talking teddy bear: Write about a child whose teddy bear could actually speak. What would these two talk about? How would that conversation go?
46. What if nightmares came true: Write about a person whose nightmares actually become reality.
47. Can you read my mind: Write about someone who is able to hear the internal thoughts of everyone around them.
48. He came to destroy the world: Write about a being who is hell-bent on destroying the entire world. What is their thought process like? Why do they want to destroy everything so much?
49. The fortune-teller’s faith: Write about a fortune-teller who was able to predict everyone’s faith but her/his own.
50. When hurt people are given power: Describe what happens when people who have felt wronged by the world are given superpowers.
51. Haunted by the ghosts of my past: Write about an old man who is haunted by the ghosts of every person in his life who has died.
Writing Prompts about Nature
Nature is often talked about as a sanctuary of peace and beauty. When someone is asked to describe beauty, it is not uncommon to include things such as a sunset or the ocean. Hence, it is only natural to be inspired by nature. You can either delve into descriptions of why nature is such a beautiful thing or show its uglier, more dangerous side in your poem.
Prompts
52. The mother lion and her cub: Write about the story of a mother lion and her cub. Describe the relationship between the two and showcase the maternal instincts that are at play.
53. What if the sun never rose again: What if the sun never rose again? In your poem speculate and describe what would happen? How would people react?
54. The wrath of mother nature: Describe the wrath of mother nature and contrast this would the peacefulness and beauty we usually associate with nature.
55. Once upon a time, a sun loved a moon: In your poem, use personifications and write a story about how the sun fell in love with the moon.
56. An abandoned cub: Write about a cub who was abandoned by its mother because it was too weak. Describe how harsh natural selection can be at times.
57. When the sky falls: In your poem, describe the sky as being made of a solid material. Then, write about the sky falling.
58. When it rains, the city cries: Describe a city in which the inhabitants are literally affected by the weather. So, when it rains, everyone cries inexplicably.
59. When the thunderstorm brings you closer: Write about two people stuck in a house during a thunderstorm. Describe the conversation between these two individuals and how their connection becomes stronger during this event.
60. The waves of the devil: Write about the devil being in control of the ocean and the waves.
61. A forest of hope: Describe a forest where every time a person made a wish, a new tree sprung from the ground.
62. A forest on fire: Describe a forest on fire. How do the animals react to this event? What are the consequences of the fire?
63. A sky full of stars: Describe a starry night.
64. The Rocky Mountains: Describe how a journey climbing the Rocky Mountains would feel.
65. The cycling of seasons: Write about the changing of seasons and describe what each season represents.
66. A sailor lost at sea: Write about a sailor who is lost at sea for the first time. He is alone in the middle of the ocean. Describe his thoughts. What are his main fears? How did he end up lost?
67. The curse of the Waterfall: Write about a beautiful waterfall that has been cursed. Every time a person sets their eyes on this waterfall, they are so drawn to it that they fall in and end up drowning.
68. The beauty of a landscape: Describe a landscape and write about what makes it beautiful and unique.
69. Trespassing a bear’s territory: Write about humans trespassing a bear’s territory but from the point of view of the bear.
70. The lone wolf: Write about the adventures of a lone wolf.
Writing Prompts about Youth
Youth is oftentimes praised in most societies and in many art forms as well. Youth is associated with beauty, innocence & adventure. It is a topic that has inspired many great songs, poems, and stories. When writing a poem about youth, think about what aspects people praise/like about being young. On the other hand, what negative qualities are usually associated with being young?
Prompts
71. A young emperor has a lot of responsibility but little wisdom: Write about a young emperor who has to take on daunting responsibilities. How would the weight of these responsibilities affect him? How does his lack of experience/youth affect the way he rules?
71. Isn’t it great to feel untouchable in your youth: In your poem, describe how most young people feel untouchable. When you are young and healthy, you rarely think about the possibility of getting sick or dying. Explore why this may be the case.
73. When you are young, your mistakes are forgiven but when you are old, there is no room for errors.
74. The possibilities seem endless when you are young
75. The young lovers: Describe how young love feels. Is it different from the relationships/love you experience when you grow older?
76. The beauty of youth: In your poem, explore why youth is often associated with beauty.
77. There is an eagerness to live boldly when you are young
78. The tragic prince was beautiful, young, and naive
79. The fountain of youth
80. The price of youth: Write about an old sorceress who experimented on herself in an attempt to become young again. What was the price she had to pay in exchange for youth? Was it worth it in the end?
Writing Prompts about Old Age
The idea of growing old and the rapid passing of time is oftentimes met with mixed emotions. On one hand, being able to live a long life is a gift. However, it is also scary for many people to see wrinkles appear and struggle with the health issues that often accompany old age. There are many ways you can tackle the subject of old age within your poem. Here are a couple of examples:
Prompts
81. How beautiful it is to grow old and be at peace with yourself
82. There is despair in his wrinkled eyes.
83. He fears he has wasted his life chasing vanity and he hasn’t much time left to make up for his wasted youth.
84. The fear of growing old, of being forgotten
85. The pain of regretting your youth
86. What if I had chosen a different path, where would I be today?
87. He died old and alone
88. What if I’m not ready to die yet?
89. Her words of wisdom
90. She has lived a long life, yet she is tired and waiting for the day she’ll sleep peacefully
Writing Prompts about Stories and Tales
Stories are a way to express emotion, invoke life lessons, and entertain the masses. They are a way of communication and are deeply embedded within human culture as a whole. Writing poems about stories and tales can be a way to let your imagination run wild and create beautiful unique poems.
Prompts
91. The tales of a man who has seen too much
92. There is a lie in every story
93. There is truth behind every lie
94. The tale of a prince
95. The legacy of a man who went through hell
96. The greatest hero that ever lived
97. How legends are born
98. The purpose of stories
99. The village monsters
100. The mysterious newcomer
I hope some of these prompts will help you write some beautiful poems. Feel free to share your poems down in the comments below!