Writing Prompts | Poetry
Poetry Playground Writing Prompt #10
Clowning Around
We have arrived at our tenth Poetry Playground Prompt! To celebrate, I am offering you two prompts this week. You can do one, both or even combine them!
A Form Prompt
One of the most common forms of poetry is a limerick. I find them one of the hardest. The rhythm and rhyme scheme is tricky to master. You are also meant to count the number of syllables!
Here is how a limerick works. A limerick has five lines with a set rhythm.
The rhyme scheme is AABBA. The rhythm has two lines of three sets of three, two lines of two sets of three, and the final line with another three sets of three:
A — nine syllables. Dah-dah-dum Dah-dah-dum Dah-dah-dum A — nine syllables. Dah-dah-dum Dah-dah-dum Dah-dah-dum B — six syllables. Dah-dah-dum Dah-dah-dee B — six syllables. Dah-dah-dum Dah-dah-dee A — nine syllables. Dah-dah-dum Dah-dah-dum Dah-dah-dum
Limericks are often comical or silly rhymes, frequently telling a story about a person. This week’s theme prompt is to write a limerick, or even several if you so choose.
As with all poetry, the rules can be broken. If your limerick works better with one fewer syllable, or an extra one, go for it. The form is there to serve you. You are not a slave to form (unless you choose to be).
A Theme Prompt
I live in the UK, where the Government continues to vilify asylum seekers, attack transgender people and claim they are in touch with the people. The Prime Minister (no longer Boris Johnson, who is in the picture) has hundreds of millions of pounds of personal wealth. He does not know what millions of people across the UK go through daily — often a choice between warmth and food. I have let myself get political to get to this point — the UK Government is currently like a circus, one largely full of clowns.
Circus is the theme offered as a prompt for this week’s poetry. You might want to describe the pomp and excitement of an actual circus, or a crazy moment or time in your life that feels like a circus. You might take it more seriously and address animal rights. Alternatively, you could go political as I have above. Take it where you think it might most connect with the reader.
This is a bit of a different prompt and could fit in with the limerick idea. I am looking forward to seeing what poems we receive this week.
Welcome to New Writers
This week we have welcomed Patricia Timmermans, Amy Barlowe, Bernadine, Robert Austin, Jeannie.Chambers, Derek Reinhard, Dyego Gaspar, Ruth Boukhari, Denée King, Merr Gumm, Priyanka Sinha, Aaren Herron and Gary L Ellis. A record number of new writers in a week. Welcome to all of you!
Let’s open the Poetry Playground!
To become a writer for Poetry Playground you can read this article:
Tagging the current writers for Poetry Playground below. Please choose at least one to visit. You might peruse their poetry, or award an article with a clap! This is a Playground where we support each other.
Harry Hogg, Alize Henry, Amy Barlowe, Jackie Olsen, Jason Edmunds, Mariana Busarova, Roger Hawcroft, Brandon Ellrich, Esther Spurrill-Jones, Will Anthony, Robert Ralph, Zivah Avraham, Tuaca Kelly | Write About Now ✍🏼, Portia, Shuvranil Sanyal, Steve Potter, Sheri Jacobs, Reece Beckett, Alistair J. Kraft, Michael Burg, MD (Satire Sommelier) 😬, Logophobic, Let’s Write Cat 🐈, Kitchie McBride, MHA, Kimberley Abraham, Josie P. Julius, Joseph the Dreamer, Jane Claude | Poet, Jackie Olsen, Dan J, Gary Kokaisel (Pixel Floyd), My Cozy Den, David Rudder, a.j. land, Catherine Oceano, Mariana Busarova, Alize Henry
