POMprompt # 23 — Breathe — Release — Celebrate
Take your place in the universe. Just breathe.
This POMprompt is brought to you by the editors of The POM. Here at The POM we celebrate all poets no matter how long they’ve been “poeting” as we like to say, and no matter their experience level or educational background in writing poetry. We focus on voice, growth, learning, and poetic expression.
The POMprompts are a series of poetry writing prompts to push our poets to try new things, experience nuances within their poetic voice, and press themselves to grow as a poet. You can find all of the previous POMprompts here. Try any of them that you want — there is no time frame on any of the POMprompts. Directions for how to do the POMprompts can be found here.
This POMprompt begins with a reading assignment. Read the following two poems:
As you’ll see, the first poem reads like a mindful, meditative experience, reminding us to focus on our breathing, our physical existence, and our outward intentions. Centering ourselves into that space of what it feels to be a living, breathing, functioning organism. Read this poem in the mindset of meditative breathing. Facing life with intention.
The second poem is a celebration. Of life. Of your sense of space and place. Of the world around you and how you fit into it. It is a euphoric dance between yourself and the earth, the air, the community, the goings-on of all that you experience in your day-to-day experiences as a living, breathing organism.
Between those two moments — between the realization of life and the finding of meaning, there’s a searching. Poets have always searched to find and explain the meaning of life, the purpose of humanity, and how we all fit into that existential or spiritual or (insert your explanation here) puzzle of our existence. Poets have shown us their wand’ring spirits and searching souls through their work from Frost’s road not taken to Shakespeare’s slings and arrows, and we pack up our poetic hearts and follow them.
Now, it’s your turn.
With your POMprompt poem, creative prose, or poetic essay response, take us on the journey of your search, your mantra, your release, your celebration — whatever portion of this headspace you want to share as you seek meaning behind your breathing. The purpose of your heart, pumping blood through your body day after day. Which road you take and why. The organism that houses your thoughts, your emotions, your awareness. Why? Show us your poetic contemplation or make it metaphorical.
One caution: do not get so cerebral that your readers lose interest! Your job is to reach out to the reader and touch them in that same place of wonder and need for answers. Show them something astounding they never even knew or thought about themselves.
This is why Frost’s decision that day in the yellow wood has stuck with generations of poetic souls. We’ve all been there at that fork in the road. He took us there and shared his deepest self with us and as readers, we are so grateful.
Now, it’s your turn. Go forth and poet!
Thank you for reading. I look forward to your responses. Please use POMprompt as a tag and here’s how to make sure it goes into the POMprompt tab on The POM (if you publish it here.)
- Type “pomprompt”
- Ignore the suggestion that pops up and just hit enter.
- The tag will go in with no capitals but it will collate your post into the POMprompt tab on The POM.
Poetically yours,
