Weekly Prompt

  • Lauren Waszkiewicz
    6 years ago, updated 6 years ago

    Hi All!

    This is something pretty popular with other poetry groups and something I thought I could bring here for some inspiration.

    Each week, it seems like on Wednesdays, I shall provide a quick poetry prompt. This might be a word, a topic, a phrase, or anything of the sort!

    Feel free to use this prompt to write a new poem and post it below!

    This isn't a judged thing (unless we want it to be? I would need volunteers to judge), but I just thought could be fun! :)

    WEEKLY PROMPT #1 (7/12-18): Saturn
    #2 (7/21-28): Complete Silence
    #3: Justice
    #4: Excuses and Justification
    #5: Stress

    Write away!

    -Lauren

  • Larry Chamberlin replied to Lauren Waszkiewicz
    6 years ago

    Great start, Lauren!

    The Dissipate Soul

    There are times I feel my life has
    gone upside down for no reason
    other than normality is boring:
    the madness makes it amusing
    but gods know who finds it so.

    I am in the Saturnalia of old Rome
    where servants become masters,
    masters become their slaves,
    yet twas for one short day per year
    rather than this permanent state.

    Feasting and gift giving would
    make all this turvy-topsy bearable
    but in the drought of human touch
    revelry ends up only as drunken
    descent to Morpheus’ cold sleep.

  • pmmurphy
    6 years ago

    Ok for fun and alittle be of humor. I am going to turn every single weekly prompt into a love poem of some sort.

    saturn

    i found her hula hooping,
    next to the other galaxies she was
    beautiful.

    she had that kind of grace
    that you thought if you approached her
    you would freeze and fly off to the moon
    the other planets didn't get her style
    but oh how the asteroids loved her.

    i wished she was more into my atmosphere,
    i was only light-years away
    sipping away the milky way when i realized
    that i should a been next to her.

    i wished i was still finding her cosmic radiation
    pulsating through the black matter
    of our neighborhood but no
    i thought that stars and constellations were more endearing

    i mean all the magazines
    showed how beautiful those little dainty things are
    even after intensive Photoshop they deemed Saturn
    "unmarketable".

    that was when i bit my teeth and floated away
    continuing my orbit around the sun.

    Maybe next year
    Maybe next year

  • mossgirl19
    6 years ago, updated 6 years ago

    This is very cool, Lauren! Thanks for starting this thread!

    Stargazing

    Sheets unfolded and laid
    next to each other,
    You and me
    we are but two
    in a sea of people
    wanting to discover the mysteries
    of the star studded skies.

    Huge lights started to point
    at the heavens
    and over loud speakers
    each constellation was
    called up,
    and we learned that they are
    about hundreds of them
    appearing at different times
    and that the sky
    changes faces too.

    Just before day break
    an excited voice on the microphone
    announced a peculiar phenomenon
    Saturn has out of nowhere
    glided itself so near to earth
    never in quite a hundred years.
    We rushed to the telescopes
    and there she was, with her rings
    I swear it was the most perfect
    The most perfect view I have ever seen.

    You let out a soft chuckle
    And said I acted like a child.
    But I said I should be
    Cause’ it’s not something
    That happens to earth every day.

    You fell silent and we stood there
    fixed at each other’s eyes
    for we know not how long.

    I must have said something wrong
    Because you acted like a child afterwards.

  • Em
    6 years ago

    This is a fabby idea..

    If you gazed into her eyes
    for long enough you'd see
    the moon's reflection as
    those eyes sparkled like stars
    and were mischievous enough
    without the laughter that
    resounded from her ruby red lips
    which always looked perfect,
    good enough to kiss and

    Saturn turned green just at the thought
    of those ladys lips and pale white skin:
    she was purely perfection

    men wanted her on their arms
    woman aspired to be like her

    but Saturn had other plans.

  • Lauren Waszkiewicz
    6 years ago

    Thank you for those who participated! I loved reading your works. :)

    I'm sorry this is a few days late (the website crashing messed everything up), but I have a new prompt!

    Please submit a new piece based on the following prompt:

    Complete Silence

  • mossgirl19
    6 years ago

    ICU

    Beep,beep,beep goes
    The ventilator
    And thug, thug, thug
    Goes my heart.

    Every now and then
    One of the machines will
    Drive the sanity out of me.

    I am in a place
    Where too much light
    Had me wishing for
    Some darkness...

    For the first time
    I pray for nothing except
    complete silence...

    complete silence
    in the minutes to come...

    But beep, beep, beep
    there it goes again.

    Thug,thug,thug goes my heart.

  • Larry Chamberlin
    6 years ago, updated 6 years ago

    The Silence of Our Lives

    When we met we were silent
    - a glance,
    - a lingering gaze
    - a smile
    - returned

    Then I went to you and silence
    - was uncomfortable
    - was replaced with chatter
    - was eliminated with interest
    - returned with comfort

    We came together and silence
    - marked intimacy
    - accompanied long walks
    - meant hands held in sleep
    - returned loving smiles

    We fought and silence
    - met fury with cold shoulders
    - meant the back of a slammed door
    - greeted an empty morning
    - returned letters unopened

    We made up and silence
    - was long eye contact over dinner
    - was holding each other on the couch
    - was tears against my chest
    - returned with sleep in each other’s arms

  • Milly Hayward
    6 years ago

    Here's my little piece inspired by the prompt - Saturn.....

    As I sped through, the heavens gate
    Stopped to stare, at the celestial eight
    Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars
    The latest celebrities are all stars

    Jupiter and Neptune, make a plan
    To repel an over zealous fan
    Saturn's wearing something new
    His bright halo comes into view

    Gorgeous from head, down to toe
    Think my hearts just got a glow
    Saturn smiles, I've gone to heaven
    Dam! Not at me, at the other seven

  • CJ Maleney
    6 years ago, updated 6 years ago

    My buddy
    __________

    My best friend for 16 years
    My loyal companion and protector.
    Always happy to see me
    So happy you broke my nose once.

    It's odd how I still call you my baby boy even though you grow weary and tire easily these days.
    You're not so fleet of foot now, but every now and then you get a spring in your step.
    Especially if there's a foxy little lady about.

    Life in the old dog yet.

    How much pleasure have we shared together, walking through those woods.
    Jumping into the lake or the river in winter icicles forming on your coat.

    Yeah you have been a friend.
    It's odd that I still shout at you sometimes, especially when you have your head stuck in the bin trying to get the last of the gravy from the meatballs.

    Yeah I shout but I know you no longer hear a word.
    I sometimes bury my face into your neck and talk deeply in some hope that you can feel the vibrations of my voice.

    It breaks my heart to know that your world is now one of complete silence.

  • Lauren Waszkiewicz replied to CJ Maleney
    6 years ago

    Thank you all for your submissions! I loved reading through them.

    The new prompt for this week is:

    Justice

  • Em
    6 years ago

    Ok so I'm a little late on the silent prompt but wrote something and forgot to post so here it is.

    Silent places seem to
    Intensify the beating of
    Loneliness in one's head
    Especially when there is
    Nobody around to squish you
    Contemplative space and
    Eventually one goes stir crazy.

  • CJ Maleney
    6 years ago, updated 6 years ago

    Hi sorry to be a pain but can I make a suggestion.

    Instead of making a weekly prompt and adding it to the thread is it possible to make it a new thread each week?

    I'm saying this from a purely personal level as I keep missing stuff. I realise most won't be as disorganised and inept as I, but just a thought

    Craig

    Ps loving the idea by the way

  • CJ Maleney
    6 years ago, updated 6 years ago

    .

  • mossgirl19
    6 years ago, updated 6 years ago

    If I Could Rename You

    Forgive me, of my thinking
    Yours is a name so lovely
    But...but you are more than it.

    I think it short,
    Unfitting,
    For if you are confined
    To be called plainly by it...

    I think it an injustice.

    You are uncontainable,
    In alphabets, much more
    In my words...

    When I think of you
    Your beauty
    Who you are...

    Ah, if I could rename you, if I could find
    A name worthy to equate you
    If only I could be creative, profound, concise
    If only I can put into one word
    Who and what you are...

    I would be the greatest artist
    To ever live.

  • Lauren Waszkiewicz
    6 years ago

    Hello! Loved the responses and I'm glad folks are enjoying this!

    I hope you like prompt 4: Excuses and Justifications

  • Lauren Waszkiewicz replied to CJ Maleney
    6 years ago

    Hi Craig,

    I thought about doing it that way, but I didn't want to spam the forum and thought having them all in one place could be simpler for folks to log on, click the post and see the new prompt and any responses.

    I will, however, update the top post with the new prompts each week so folks can see right away if I've posted a new one. Would that be a help?

  • Lauren Waszkiewicz
    6 years ago

    Aww, no replies this week. :(

    This week's prompt shall be

    Stress.

  • Larry Chamberlin replied to Lauren Waszkiewicz
    6 years ago

    Stress (tanka)

    There's nothing stress-free
    about relationships but
    the alternative's
    superficiality
    and spiritless loneliness.

  • Em
    6 years ago

    We're adamant stress
    won't rule our emotions but
    life's not straightforward

  • mossgirl19
    6 years ago

    Misspelled

    Strengths and weaknesses…
    I am crafted from both.

    I am a person of numbers
    Proven in the times
    I have given you
    Second chances.

    But never of letters though
    I miss what you mean all the time
    And I have always spelled stress
    with
    Y-O-U.

  • Brenda
    6 years ago

    Stress (acrostic)
    Stretching my pills of eternal happiness
    to their absolute max
    results in my inner peace
    exploding into deadly
    shards of glass
    shredding everything in its' path...

  • CJ Maleney
    6 years ago

    Stress

    Silently brooding and foreboding
    Turbulent thoughts tumbling over and over
    Rivers of self loathing and doubt flowing
    Everything called to question and doubt
    Searching for a way to float in this flood
    Secure in the knowledge you are doomed to drown

  • CJ Maleney replied to mossgirl19
    6 years ago

    Love this, excellent write

    Craig

  • mossgirl19 replied to CJ Maleney
    6 years ago, updated 6 years ago

    Yay! Thanks. I meant to spell it that way. :-)

    We loved this prompt didn't we?

  • CJ Maleney replied to mossgirl19
    6 years ago

    Yeah it was one that I think everyone could really sink they're teeth into

    Craig

  • Em
    6 years ago

    These are really good - Brenda I hope you're ok. Much love x

  • Brenda replied to Em
    6 years ago

    Thanks Em, I'm hanging in there. Hope all is well with you?

  • Em replied to Brenda
    6 years ago

    I'm hanging in there too if I'm honest thanks

  • CJ Maleney replied to Lauren Waszkiewicz
    6 years ago

    Hiya

    Sorry for the slow reply, just seen this. Sometimes my head is up my bum.

    And yeah that's cool thanks

    Craig

  • mossgirl19 replied to Lauren Waszkiewicz
    6 years ago

    Awww Lauren we miss you here... :-)