2019 April PAD Challenge: Day 4

I hope you’re having a good month. I’ve already written more poems this month than in the previous three! And I’ve still got nearly a month’s worth of writing ahead…

I hope you're having a good month. I've already written more poems this month than in the previous three! And I've still got nearly a month's worth of writing ahead of me!

For today’s prompt, pick a painter, make him or her the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible painters include Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, or Pablo Picasso. Of course, you don't have to go with the big names. You can use more obscure painters or more contemporary ones. For instance, I love the work of Judith Peck and Aaron Bir.

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Poem Your Days Away!

Online poetry prompts are great! But where can you get your poem fix when you unplug? The answer is the Smash Poetry Journal, by Robert Lee Brewer.

This book collects 125 poetry prompts from the Poetic Asides blog, gives poets plenty of room to write poems, and a lot of other great poetic information. Perfectly sized to carry in a backpack or purse, you can jot down ideas for poems as you’re waiting in line for a morning coffee or take it to the park for a breezy afternoon writing session (or on a bus, at a laundromat, or about anywhere else you can imagine–except under water, unless you’re in a submarine or a giant breathable plastic bubble).

Anyway, it’s great for prompting poems, and you should order a copy today. (Maybe order an extra one as a gift for a friend.)

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Here’s my attempt at a Painter Poem:

“M.C. Escher”

His black & white prints were so precise
you'd think he had no poetic heart,
but he saw the world through special eyes
that could turn precision into art
or fish into birds, up into down--
what you first find is not what you've found.

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Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor of the Writer’s Digest Writing Community and author of Solving the World’s Problems (Press 53). He loves using art to prompt poems. Follow him on Twitter @RobertLeeBrewer.

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 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, 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.