Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 801

Just in case you missed it, author Hannah Adams wrote a piece on "The Purpose of a Poet," which got me thinking about the purpose of, well, EVERYTHING! Soooo...

For this week's prompt, write a purpose poem. Of course, you could write your own poem about the purpose of a poet (or poem or poetry in general. But you could also write a poem about the purpose of an astronaut or dentist. Or the perhaps the purpose of a dolphin or peach tree or pencil. Why not break lines over the purpose of a Thursday or late-night writing sessions? Getting meta about the purpose of purpose is totally acceptable as well.

Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.

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Poetic forms are the backbone of a poet's writing. They are the building blocks for length, rhyme scheme, subject matter, and so much more. In The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms, Writer's Digest's resident poetry expert and former poet laureate of the blogosphere Robert Lee Brewer showcases more than 100 poetic forms to serve as both an informative resource and inspiration for new writing.

Click to continue.

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Here’s my attempt at a Purpose Poem:

“Listening to the World,” by Robert Lee Brewer

Holding the memory of every poem
I ever wrote (the ones shared, the ones
held close or discarded) as I once again

pick up the pen prompts me to ponder
the purpose of it all, the why and what for
and I realize (not for the first time) I don't

know or care or dare do something else
as long as the words come and keep coming
like lost children seeking somewhere to lay

their sleepy heads filled with feelings and
stories they have to share, if with no one else,
with someone (anyone) willing to listen.

wednesday poetry prompts

Robert Lee BrewerAuthor

Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of Solving the World's Problems, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.