Poetry prompts that might scare you.
Poetry prompts are great for those times when you have the creative itch but just can’t seem to reach around to scratch it. Hey, we can’t be inspired every single day.
Writing exercises like poetry prompts challenge us while stirring our creativity.
And these ones are just in time for Halloween.
All Hallow’s Eve
Halloween comes from an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the time of year when people slaughtered livestock for the coming cold months.
Because it marked a new cycle, this festival was viewed as a kind of new year celebration. It was also the time of year when the fog between our world and the world of the deceased evaporated, which meant the dead could move about in our world and wreak havoc.
During this festival, people wore costumes. They might have been disguising themselves in order to hide from evil spirits. Maybe they were trying to pacify the dearly departed.
Poetry Prompts
These poetry prompts honor the tradition that is Halloween. Love it or hate it, it’s right around the corner and before you know it, those little witches and goblins will be gobbling up all your candy (or else you’ll be warding off tricks and pranks).
The rules are simple and you can change them as you see fit. Choose one of the word groups below and write a poem that contains all the words and phrases on the list. Or, scramble the lists to come up with new ones of your own.
Feeling really creative? Write a single poem containing all the words from all the lists below. Good luck.
| Sheer Horror | Ghostly Ghouls | Kids and Candy |
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Have fun with these poetry prompts, and feel free to share your poems in the comments, or if you publish them online, drop a link.
And keep writing!
Got any poetry prompts or writing exercises to share? Leave a comment!
(I’m using the words in the ‘sheer horror’ prompt as the basis for an improvised poem. Enjoy, if you can….)
The Scythe
you happen upon a chance discovery
freeze, look this way and that
one foot in the air
like a deer
you have no use for screaming
the world is such a deadly place
but, oh, what a splendid surprise!
you bolt outside
gather fresh flowers
lay them by my bloody corpse
– someone did the job for you! –
and you rejoice
dance
lick the blood from my corpse
pinch my nose
say ,”Death becomes you, my precious.”
throw your arms up
Reality is Good
God is Good
Chance is Good
whoever was so good
as to kill me
– what a thoughtful person –
took no care to cover the crime
you remedy the matter
concealing the entrance
so that no one may
discover
I might remain
forever a secret
and you might return once in awhile
to dance
forgetting in your frenzy
the scythe cuts
for us all….
(Greg Cameron, Poem, Surrey, B.C., Canada, December, 2010)
It’s dark and disturbing and inspired. Good job.
I wrote a poem using the sheer horror prompts. If I write one using the others I’ll let you know.
That’s definitely a horrific, scary poem 🙂
(I’m using the word chase in the ‘sheer horror’ prompt list for my poem. I hope it is to your liking. Enjoy.)
Chase Game
If you go out in the woods tonight, you’re sure to get a good scare
You know they’re out there staring at you, you know but not sure from where
Your lungs are burning from all the run, yet ever so cold the air
If you go out in the woods tonight, beware, you’d better be aware.
There’s still no sound surrounding the trees, leafs are shaking the ground
Look over here, look over there, make sure nobody’s around
Can’t say the same to your beating heart, with that loud noise of a pound
Is it a wise choice to stop for wounds? –you have been found.
And you run so frantic, win the game of tag and chase
Run faster, they’re picking up pace
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, you were warned of this place
No howl to hear, too dry to taste the savor of this defeat and its waste.
If you go out in the woods tonight, beware, don’t get yourself traced
Tree branches break, the snakes will wake, the leafes can somehow relate
They’ve felt the embrace of the one’s mistakes, now quietly they wait
You went into the woods tonight, good night, there’s no escape–welcome, to your own game of chase.
Thank you for sharing! I’m thrilled that the prompts inspired you!
(I used “footsteps” as my only prompt since I wanted it to be short and scary. I always loved the shorter horror stories since they left more up to the imagination, so I decided to try my hand at writing one that you can fill in the blanks for… good luck and hope you don’t mind me bending the rules!)
I heard footsteps down the corridor
Creeping up towards me
The monster ever nearing
My hand gripping my knee
I heard a young girl screaming
And began to scream myself
When suddenly I realized
It was crossing the book shelf
A voice reached through the darkness
Shaking with it’s fright
“Who’s there?” it asked
And suddenly I took flight
I ran across the room
And out into the street
When suddenly a racing car
I came right out to meet
When I stretched my eyes open again
The car had sailed right through
Then I started thinking
Maybe they were scared of me too
Thank you for sharing your poem!