POMprompt # 3 Inanimate Object

as we continue with POMwrimo

One of the most challenging poetry assignments I had in college was one of the most simple concepts, yet it pressed my skill, forced me to focus on my descriptive language, and made me pay attention to the poetry that lives in and all around.

Pick an inanimate object and write a poem about it.

For the assignment I chose this pepper grinder that sits on my kitchen table. It looked just like this:

Here is the poem that I wrote — which was eventually published on Vita Brevis Press, later chosen as an Editor’s Pick on the same site. When it was later published here on Medium it was curated. Here is the poem link: The Pepper Mill.

I challenge you to do a deep dive on this. Choose something that may be difficult to think of in a poetic way: a toilet, a box of nails, a garbage can, a thimble, a basket, a bar of soap — basically find something that is utterly unpoetic — and then make it poetic. Tell its story. Make up its story. Give it a voice or a personality. Describe it with language that gives life to something mundane…How can you describe it in a poetic way?

Whatever you choose to write about or however you choose to do it — use this to press yourself further in skill, further in voice.

I look forward to reading your responses! Don’t forget to tag this post even if you post your poem elsewhere — so I don’t miss it :)

Go POMpoets! (I feel like we need super hero capes or something when I say that.)

Here’s how to participate in the POMprompts:

Christina Ward 💗 is a poet, encourager, and kind of a teacher-at-heart. Thank you for following The POM.