Poetry Prompts for Fall

Poetry prompts celebrating the fall season.

It seems like summer always passes too quickly and winter lasts too long. Maybe that’s why fall is my favorite season. It seems to hang around just long enough. It’s not too hot, not too cold. A mild, colorful, and comfortable season.

Every fall, my creativity goes into overdrive, and I doubt this year will be any different. I’m not sure what it is about all the rusty and golden hues that fills me with inspiration, but I’m always grateful when the leaves start to turn because I know that my imagination is about get fired up.

It’s the perfect time of year to write a little poetry. The seasons have been inspiring poets for millennia, and it’s up to us modern-day writers to keep the tradition alive. The poetry prompts below are a great way to get started.

Poetry Prompts

Poetry prompts are simple. Below, you’ll find three lists of words. Your task is to compose a poem using all of the words from one of the lists. You can also get creative any use any of the following alternatives:

• Mix and match random words from the three lists. Try to use 5-10 words to prompt your poem.
• Write three poems, each based on one of the lists.
• Write a single poem using all of the words from all of the lists.

Once you’re done writing your poem, set it aside and let it sit overnight. Come back to it the next day and spend some time polishing it. You can add words, remove words, put it into form (or take it out of form). Focus especially on deleting extraneous words and phrases. Try to keep the poem as tight and concise as possible. Also, make an effort to infuse the poem with vivid imagery, which is the key to writing great poetry.

Can you think of any fall-related words to add to these lists? Share your suggestions in the comments.

Discover and Share

Once you’ve finished using these prompts to write a poem (or several poems), come back and tell us what you discovered or learned through the process. Did you write a poem about autumn or did some other topic emerge? Did you come up with any compelling images for your piece? How did revising your poem improve it? Leave a comment to share your experience. And keep writing!

Seasonal Poetry Prompts for Spring and Summer

Poetry prompts for spring and summertime.

Poets have a long tradition of honoring the seasons by writing odes to them. Poetry celebrates spring and summer for bringing renewal to the land and warmth to our lives.

Rebirth is a common theme in poetry, so the spring season, with its fresh skies and new shoots, is a rejuvenating source of inspiration for composition.

Summer is packed with sights, smells, and sounds: splashing water and fresh lemonade; hot dogs from the fair; and bike rides on the beach.

All of these things, and many more, find their way into poetry that pays tribute to the seasons that we enjoy during the warmer half of the year: spring and summer.

Poetry Prompts for Spring

Below, you’ll find three lists of words. Choose one of the lists and write a poem using all the words from the list. You can also mix and match words from different lists or try writing a poem using all the words from all the lists.

Some of the words in the list relate to spring but some do not and you’ll have to find a way to make the poem (and the words in it) about spring.

Good luck!

Poetry Prompts for Summer

Below, you will find five lists of words. Each list pertains to one of the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Choose one word from each list and write a poem that includes all five senses. If you want to write a poem that appeals entirely to one sense, simply choose the list that corresponds (for example, the SMELL list) and use all the words on that list for your poem. Or, to really challenge yourself, try writing a single poem using all the words from all the lists. That ought to really tickle the senses!

Share Your Poetry Prompts (or Your Poems)

If you write a poem using these prompts, feel free to post it in the comments. Or, post it on your blog and then come back here and drop a link.

Keep writing (and reading) poetry!

If you have any poetry prompts or writing exercises to share, feel free to post them in the comments or send them in as a guest post. And if you have any words to add to these lists, share them as well.