Poetry prompt: Write a poem-long metaphor

Sage CohenPoetry prompt, The life poetic2 Comments

When I launched this blog, I promised that Fridays would be poetry days. And I got a bit off track these past few months. As I’m kicking back into teaching mode, I thought it would be fun to offer a poetry prompt every Friday for at least a few months. I hope you’ll play/write along!

Today’s invitation: write a poem that is comprised entirely of a single metaphor. Look to W.S. Merwin’s poem Separation as an example.

I admire the extraordinary compression Merwin employs to paint an entire emotional landscape in three, brief lines. There’s nothing fancy about the language, but yet the metaphor is rendered in such a way that I can feel that needle entering me.

How does Merwin achieve this? How can you?

(Merwin’s is a short poem, but yours can be any length that makes sense for the metaphor you choose.)

Happy writing!

I’d love it if you’d share your poem in the comments of this post or include a link to wherever you have posted it.

2 Comments on “Poetry prompt: Write a poem-long metaphor”

  1. Hi Sage… I love your poetry prompts… I am not sure HOW you do this, or where to send this… but I’d love to participate, so… here goes… If this doesn’t belong here… Please instruct me WHERE to submit, or whether I should keep them to myself! LOL… I love your website and have just joined you, I’m looking forward to getting to “know” you!

    Thanks!
    Cat Ginn

    The Missing Incisor (A Metaphor for You)

    A five-year-old’s tongue frantically searches
    For her missing tooth… as so too, I dart
    Here and there, searching
    For you throughout my day
    In that missing space your leaving
    Has created in my heart…

    Yanked free from your cozy position, nestled
    Around you, so loved…
    You were in my arms, as that tooth was…
    Held fast by my velvet gloves… Yet cocooning
    You safely with mint floss, I wrapped
    Around you so tight
    Then yanked from this space in my heart! You were pulled
    Away… and OUT with such might!

    Frantically searching… wistfully;
    My tongue may dart this way… but though
    You’ve created this chasm in the front of my smile…
    I now can spit further, you know?

    ©Cat S. Ginn
    October 10, 2011

    (well?) … ok, maybe it’s a simile? LOL

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