Enter the woods. Maybe this is only a forest in your mind. Maybe you can actually take this prompt with you and head into that magical tree line. These monthly prompts are meant to connect you with the wild self, the wooded path, the way that our writing — like tree roots — can reach both toward the sky and deep into the earth at the same time.
When we write we tune in and listen to ourselves and the world around us. Writing can support us in connecting with our personal stories and collective stories.
This prompt is meant to hold your hand through the creation of a ten-line poem. Feel free to walk off the path of the poem. The questions and prompt can be as abstract or concrete as you like.
The Prompt
Title: A Woodland (pick one: Intuitive / Primeval / Folklore / Lie / Spell)
Line One: Something you see behind your eyes before you wake up.
Line Two: Say, "I made a mistake," and then explain why.
Line Three: Reference a plant you see nearby (real or imaginary).
Line Four: Teach us something about yourself that we wouldn't ask.
Line Five: Talk about the weather.
Line Six: Bring in something from your five senses.
Line Seven: Celebrate something.
Line Eight: Laugh at yourself.
Line Nine: A line that brings back in the thread of the title.
Line Ten: End with your dream from the first line.
Language is incantation. Poetry is spellwork. Secret and sacred walk hand in hand off into the forest.
