Poetry Topics
Topics to begin, expand, or expound on your verses and poetry. We have dozens of topics, so make sure you scroll through or go to the next page. Enter our Poetry Contest and be a part of our Newsletters and Anthologies.
Poetry Topics – Groundhog Days
Ahh, that cute, furry little creature that determines whether the weather will be kind or severe. Yes, this creature is the groundhog. Tiny ears…small pudgy body…very timid…very predictive of the possible future. Sometimes he is correct. Other times he is no so much. Create a verse that ties in the semblance of this simple creature to his prognostications.
When did this craziness start? Does the groundhog know the story itself? Or, is he just along for the ride of being woken early and waits for extra food in a side dish that had remained dormant for an extended period of time as hibernation took over. Give your day and critter a personality that breathes life into the day and the events around the day. Think of how you don’t care about the outcome, yet somehow are always disappointed when he sees his shadow. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
Poetry Topics – New Year’s Eve
The emotions that enter into play when starting a new year bring back many memories and encourage fresh beginnings all at the same time. At what point do we realize it is the start of something new? At what point do we consider this a possible do-over? At what point does this day actually become special? Is there a significance in this event any more? Or, has it just become a day to watch football and take a day off work or recover from the extensive celebrations you enjoyed the evening prior?
Reach deep within yourself and touch the details of the day from a particularly good time in your life. Write about the emotions. Then, return to yet another time when things were not looking so good and you were looking for an opportunity to right the ship. Write about the hopes. What ever your focus in this verse, draw from experience and build on the emotion. Remember poems are simple, but have all the power of a story in a little, tiny space. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
Poetry Topics – Rose Blooms
A rose is a complicated flower, both to grow and behold. The color of this symbol can determine the type of relationship you share. The level of thorns can determine how long you would like to remain in that relationship. Connecting to the buds themselves enable you to appreciate the flowers and the person receiving them.
Be creative. Be encouraging. Be as intense as the hues these beautiful creations of nature. Open your heart as the petals expand. Tie your story into the intensity of the blooming intricacies. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
White is the innocent beauty,
Which you will always be.
Pink is the friendship which we share,
Showing each other we really care.
Red is the eternal peace and love,
We attempt to realize,
As we continue to touch each other’s lives.
Poetry Topics – Sonnet through Muse
A special relationship deserves to be appreciated and admired. A spouse or significant individual should be told how special they are to you and in your life. Reflect on the happiness they bring. Encourage your muse to show through the relationship and into a being all its own.
Research the great works and sonnets of the classic romantics and develop a style you share with your romantic counterpart and your inner muse. How strong is the connection? How important is the shared togetherness? How far into your heart do you delve to encourage the love you share to make its way onto a blank page or screen? How long is the gaze into the mirrors of your souls? Keep it intense, and encourage the surges of palpitations and emotion. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
My mistress’s eyes are nothing like the sun, tis true,
They are a far more brilliant hue.
Coral’s redness may be debated only among sunken ships,
But they may never taste as sweet as my mistress’ lips.
If snow be white, then true purity befriended the seven,
And her silken hair was certainly spun from the clouds of heaven.
Her sweet scent is synonymous with what a fresh breeze brings,
And her voice chimes in time with my delicate heartstrings.
If on Earth there a goddess be,
I am truly fortunate, for she is with me.
Alas, a poet’s pact I break and abuse,
And, as my own words prove, I have fallen for my muse.
I offer no excuses for what my mind has endeavored to create,
But open my heart no matter how long the wait.
Poetry Topics – Tortoise not turtle
Tortoises are classified as slow and tired looking. For those that know the beast, they can be described as calm, complacent, wise-looking. The hard shell protects the softer insides from predators, but it is not the enormously comfortable home we may desire. It creeps along 0.13 mph, but does it get to where it is going?
Think about the colors of the hard exterior. Think about the environment in which it lives. Think about the longevity it lives. Does the long life make it wiser than the other creatures of a hotter environment? Does it need air conditioning in that tight enclosure? Could it leave the shell behind and still get around? Think about the connections the creature brings to the distant past and the development of other residents of our planet. What can the hidden secrets of the tortoises provide to the rest of us? Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
Poetry Topics – Giraffes Around
Giraffes are tall creatures who blend in well with the surroundings they choose. They reach up into the tall realms of the leafy residents of their community and enjoy a meal or light snack. With feet the size of a standard dinner plate, they can achieve speeds of up to 30 mph as they sprint with a very unique gait.
When you think of a giraffe, you think of their long neck first. Picture what other portions make this docile animal a pleasant sight at zoos and in the wild. Its long tongue helps it eat, but what color is it. Its spots are as unique as snowflakes, but what else can they share with the tall drink of water. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
Poetry Topics – Feel the Music
Music by itself helps create and bring back memories. Whether you think about the rebounding of the bass, the techno touch of the guitar, the soft melodies of a violin, the boom of the drums, or the surging of the brass, new moments are created in your memory.
Choose your type of music…classical, pop, rock, hip hop, alternative, country, or contemporary…Focus on the level of excitement appropriate for your venue. Choose your words to match the rhythm of the music…slow and steady, fast and abrupt, varying as the words vary, or with small eruptions of greatness. Keep it simple, but encourage the surges of sound and emotion. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
Poetry Topics – Swamp Life
The swamp is a mysterious place that provides a home and shelter to many life forms. From frogs to alligators and mosquitoes to bats, each call this murky place their home. Dark waters provide shelter and nourishment to these creatures. Some have bulging eyes on the top of their heads to better see the slumping environment. Some meander aimlessly looking for the next place on which to land. The swamp provides much to a different world of wild life.
Think about the flow of life. Think about the eeriness that arrives at night. Think about the cycle of creatures that impacts the visitors of this seemingly relaxed setting. Think about the connections needed to be made within the verse to tie it all together just like the swamp itself. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
Poetry Topics – Bring Home the Sprites, Pixies, and Fairies
Sprites, fairies, and pixies have a special place in our imagination. They flutter around like little butterflies, but posses far more brightness and provide more light. These creatures enchant us as children and remind us of our connections to a fantasy-filled past as adults.
Where do they come from? Are they real? Or, are they truly a part of our imagination? Write about their links to another world. Write about their wafer-thin wings. Write about their insights into nature. Write about why they bring us so much magic. Remember poems are simple, but have all the power of a story in a little, tiny space. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
Poetry Topics – Book Binding
Books are bound to a higher calling. Books are stitched together with a passion greater than an old blanket. Books are what connect us to the worlds we have never visited. Books are the portals into lives which we envision only for a spell and are lost quicker than the snow melts right before spring.
While stories are contained within, facts, lives, and pictures created specifically for you the reader, are trapped within the constricted pages of every book. Where do you look to find them? Is there a particular place you roam to find the bringers of words and communities? Is there a specific book which you find yourself bound to because of its story?
Write about the connection. Write about the goodness or grief it has brought. Write about the inspiration that hit as you turned the pages. Did it lead you to a new career? A new vacation? Another story? Connect to the emotion or experience. Remember poems are simple, but have all the power of a story in a little, tiny space. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
Poetry Topics – Children are…
Children are intense. Children are exciting. Children are our hope for a great future. They can be influenced in so many ways. It is a delicate path to venture down without a manual or life net…The challenging part is that children do not come with either of those needed resources. What they do come with is a sense of wonder…an insightful awe…a growing curiosity of what it is like to be older.
Think back to when you were a child. If you are still in the bright age yourself, share some of that energy with those older. They will need it. Think about what makes life so pure for a while and what made it change as age set in. Can you get it back? Can you remember where you left it? Can you gather enough to compose a small verse or so?
Here is simple summary of the importance of the connecting to the children left behind and within…
Small Smiles
For all the little ones,
Who make our lives
Extraordinary.
Small smiles seek shelter for all seasons,
Carefully choosing the cheer they create.
Light laughter from the little ones lifts us.
Tiny tears teach us to treasure happy times.
While summer shines, silly shadows share their own sun;
Breezes of fall blow, breathing beauty beyond compare;
Rented whiteness rests within the winter realm of wonder;
Newness blooms near the now quiet waters of Neverland.
Every burst of energy brings better seasonal balance.
Look longer at the lasting memories of the little ones,
Create cheer to share with each tiny cherub,
So, to safely sail the shores of their souls.
Poetry Topics – Ducks or Daffodils
Ducks or daffodils…daffodils or ducks…Really think about the focus of certain citings within a scene. Composing a poem about a single item may provide focus and direction. In this case, you single item is the complete picture. You are standing outside a restaurant and what comes waddling along, but a mother duck and her little ones. Their colors blend into the woodchips which line the bed of the daffodils.
Think about the calmness this visual brings. Think about the conversation you can share during your meal about this sight. Think about the flow of the poem you will write about the birds minding their own business and contrasting with the quite flowers behind them.
Connect to the emotion it brings. Remember poems are simple, but have all the power of a story in a little, tiny space. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
The scene or the scenery?
Poetry Topics – Clock Tipping
Tick tock, tock tick…cling clang, swish, swish…the sounds of a clock provide enough rhythm to create your verse…however, the slowly moving hands and the rapidly flying times add another dimension to the simple yet somewhat necessary device.
If a watch pot never boils, does a watched clock lose time? Think of the moments when the hands seemed to hold still. Think about the moments when the second hand beat, beat, beat its incessant sound into your mind and began to impact your spiritual well being. When were those moments? Did the clock succeed in wearing you down? Or, did it help you move along quicker?
Connect to the emotion it brings. Remember poems are simple, but have all the power of a story in a little, tiny space. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
Poetry Topics – Giant Pandas
An enormous black and white, cuddly-looking bear rests amongst tall bamboo stalks and its rocky surroundings. The giant panda may look cute, but its large teeth and incredibly strong jaws make it more dangerous than your night-time teddy bear. The zoos are becoming one of the few places you can find these creatures. The giant panda uses a pseudo thumb which helps them grasp their favorite meal.
Think about the simple, yet blended colors. Think about the calm, yet protective nature. Think about how it sits up to eat and watch others. Think about what humans are doing to protect and save this resident of the bamboo forests..
Do you remember the panda from your childhood trips to the zoo? Do you remember the panda from a book you read? Do you remember the creature from a recent movie? Whatever the case may be, remember watching it eat, play, and relax. Combine your words to flow with the simplicity and longevity of the giant panda. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
Here are some resources for actual panda poems to use as an example or simply enjoy the creatures and the craft:
(Note: None of these are supported or endorsed by Story Institute, they are provided as examples.)
http://www.angelfire.com/de/cade/poems.html
http://www.pandasareprecious.com/?p=18
http://www.harestanes.e-dunbarton.sch.uk/page_viewer.asp?page=+Giant+Panda+Poems&pid=204
Poetry Topics – Horse of a Similar Color
Horses are majestic creatures admired for their perseverance and taken advantage of for their shear strength. They stand shoulders above most humans and run like the wind…OK, maybe not exactly like the wind, but get caught down wind from them and you will reflect on another strong creature.
Think about the soft mane rising with the breeze as the horse gallops past. Think about the swish of the tale as it swats away the more annoying of creatures. Think about the special shoes they receive without the air-pockets…and, yet, they jump over hurdles and puddles with ease. Think about the rough terrain they encounter and protect their rider when trained.
Whether you’re a rider, a farmer, or just an admirer, you have that special story about one of those grand creatures. If you went around in circles when you were a kid on a live horse or up and down on a wooden one, you have a unique memory you can stretch your emotions to create your verse. Post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…
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