For today’s poetry prompt, we’ll be going on a walk either around the house or around the neighborhood to look for some tiny inspiration. Get ready to get up close to the world and see things in a whole new light!
One of the most powerful effects of poetry is that it makes us look at the world in a new way. Today, we’ll be practicing look at the world like a poet, letting it surprise us and seeing things with new eyes.
Go on a walk around the house if it’s cold or outside if it’s warm enough. All you need is your eyes and, if you’d like, a pencil and paper.
When you’ve walked for a bit, take some deep breaths, stretch a bit, and find a spot and sit down.
Take a look at what’s around you, close enough to touch. Can you see the wood grain of the floor? The rough stubble of carpet? Some blades of grass? The side of a soccer ball? The bottom of a chair?
If you can, lie down and get your eyes as close as possible to what’s around you. Pretend you’ve been shrunk to a tiny size and you’re now looking up at the massive world.
Pick one thing that you see and focus on it. Let it fill your entire vision. Picture it as huge as you can imagine, larger than the whole house, yard, sky, or world!
Jot down what you notice or imagine about it.
When you’re ready, turn your jottings into a poem. See if you can describe that object in the same way you imagined it: huge, filling the entire world, unfamiliar.
Now, share your poem with someone else and help them see the world in a new way.
Bonus: Can you tell what the object is in each of the images below? If you're stuck, keep scrolling and you'll find the answers below the image.
From top left to right: flower, hairbrush, feathers, lizard scales, straws, soap bubble, cheese grater, moth wing, lettuce