Ekphrastic Poetry Prompt
Connecting With a Sunflower
Gifts of happiness and optimism as we remember mothers
We’re all golden sunflowers inside. Allen Ginsberg in Sunflower Sutra
Hello to our dear Paper Poetry friends,
We’re getting back into the swing of our weekly prompts. For many of us, we need to get back into the swing of finding happiness and hope — often found in the small things that surround us, but which often go unnoticed in the busyness and distractedness of our lives.
I was reminded of that when I read Erika Burkhalter’s poem, Succulent Shadows, and her accompanying essay where she speaks of seeking and finding awe in the simple things.
They fell upon the page like ink, dripping from the sea of awe, unintended shadows, unseen before.
from Succulent Shadows by Erika Burkhalter, May 4, 2022
As Erika has shown us, poets have the knack of putting the minutiae of life under the microscope and extracting something beautiful, surprising, confronting and honest from it.
It was that same quality that was evident in the submissions we received for the Week 11 one-word prompt: mother. We timed this prompt as a forerunner to Mother’s Day which for many will be celebrated, remembered, or reflected upon this coming week.
Submissions were fewer this time around, but those we did receive each gave good cause to pause and reflect. Thank you to Raine, Shadai (Poetic Therapy), Josie — and me! — for gifting us with your thoughts and words on mother. Please take a few minutes to read the poems for yourselves —
💐 A Baby, Yet a Mother Be! by Raine Lore — Raine shares a very personal story about the animosity she experienced as a young mother and how love prevailed
💐 Flowers for Mothers by Poetic Therapy — Shadia tells us that all mothers who try their best for their children, regardless of circumstances and outcomes, deserve flowers as a token of acknowledgement and appreciation
💐 Mother by Carolyn Hastings — my poem considers the strong maternal bonds carried in the female XX chromosomes through the generations of my family
💐 Mothers to Many by Josie Elbiry — Josie reminds us that you don’t have to be mother to fill a mothering role and even those who consider themselves ‘motherless’ have had many mothers in their lives
I take the opportunity now to wish all mothers a Happy Mother’s Day — where in the world would we be without you?
Which brings us to our next prompt — because without the mothers in my family, you would not be reading this, and I would not be sharing with you a piece of my grandson’s artwork. 😊
Let’s take a look.
Poetry Prompt Week 12
Okay, so I’ve given you a big hint already but to be sure I’ll fill you in.
The sunflower you see in the header image, was drawn by my nearly 5-year-old grandson, Wesley. I say nearly because his birthday is this coming week. Happy Birthday, Wesley! 🎂
It’s only been recent times that Wesley has taken an interest in drawing and colouring in — he’s more of a letters and numbers man! And Lego! Lots and lots of Lego, as some of you already know.
Imagine my delight when he plucked a sunflower out of his head and planted it on the paper in all its glorious colour and abundance of happiness and optimism.
He drew the sunflower for his 93-year-old great grandmother (my mum) who is very slowly recovering from having been seriously ill last year. Mama (that’s my mum) was thrilled to receive her special get-well message.
Bless his sunny-sweet heart. 💛 🌻 😍
So where do you come in?
Your task, if you choose to accept it, is to write an ekphrastic poem using Wesley’s drawing of a sunflower to spark your thoughts and inspire your words.
Prompt details 🌻
Type: Ekphrastic
Form: your choice of poetry
Theme: your choice but it must relate in some way to Wesley’s sunflower drawing in the banner image (please don’t write about Paper Poetry’s logo!)
Line limit: maximum 40 lines
Title/subtitle/kicker: your choice but should relate to the prompt in some way
Tags: please use ‘W12 Prompt’ and ‘Ekphrastic’ tags when submitting your poem
Image: one image only Please note: your image must incorporate a handwritten/handcrafted element in either paper or digital format in accordance with Paper Poetry’s submission guidelines. For example: a handwritten portion of the poem, a decorative title, your own version of Wesley’s drawing. You are welcome to take a screenshot of Wesley’s sunflower and incorporate it into your own graphic design.
Extensions: Feel free to include a promotional link to this prompt and invite (handle tag) other writers to join the prompt. Our weekly prompts are all about showcasing your poetry, so we kindly ask that you limit explanatory notes, backstories, etc. to a minimum.
Submission period: Saturday May 7 (UTC-10hrs, the Cook Islands 12:00am) — closing Friday, May 13 (UTC-10hrs, Cook Islands 11:59 pm)
New writers are most welcome to participate in the prompt. In the comments below, please request to be added as a writer and include your Medium @ handle; or email us at [email protected]
The next weekly poetry prompt announcement will be on May 14 (UTC-10hrs, the Cook Islands 12:00am)
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Let your sunflower bloom from within. 🌻
