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Purple Rain and Indigo Blues (A Plum-Good Poetry Prompt)

By Seth Haines 16 Comments

Welcome to February at Tweetspeak Poetry! As you know, each month we offer weekly poetry prompts inspired by a particular theme, and at the beginning of each month, it’s my pleasure to bring you a theme-based musical playlist. This month’s theme? Purple, plum, and indigo.

It should be no surprise that I’ve chosen a jazz and blues heavy selection this month. Even still, there’s a little something here for everyone. Those of you stuck in the 80s will enjoy dancing in the “Purple Rain.” For the Canadians in the room, I’ve thrown in a piece by the indie rock band Arcade Fire. And for those introspective poetic types (we do well within this demographic), I’ve included a bit of Indigo Girls.

Let the music play, grab your journal, and see what comes. Come back here and share your purple-themed poetry, your indigo verses, your plum-good musings. Who knows, maybe we’ll feature your work in an upcoming piece at Tweetspeak!

So, what are you waiting for? Get to writing!

*Playlist note: This is the first time I recall sharing hip hop on the Tweetspeak playlist. The song, a collaboration between Nas and his father Olu Dara, is a good piece demonstrating the transition from blues to modern rap. I’ve always loved this piece. I hope you enjoy it.

____

Tweetspeak’s February Purple, Plum, and Indigo Poetry Prompt:

This month’s poetry theme at Tweetspeak is Purple, Plum, and Indigo, and we’re composing poems that play with the theme. Perhaps you can gain a bit of inspiration from this month’s playlist, from a particular piece of artwork, or from your local purveyor of plums, eggplant, or purple-hulled peas. How do you participate?

1. Think about the colors purple, plum, or indigo. Do the colors remind you of a particular place, a type of food, an experience, or a certain mood?

2.  Compose a poem inspired by the theme.

3. Tweet your poems to us. Add a #PurplePoetry hashtag so we can find it and maybe share it with the world.

4. If you aren’t a twitter user, leave your poem here in the comment box.

5. At the end of the month, we’ll choose a winning poem and feature it in one of our upcoming Weekly Top 10 Poetic Picks.

Last month, we played with coffee and tea themes here at Tweetspeak, and there was some great work. My favorite among them, though, came from Darlene, who took the “Battle of the Beverages” poetry prompt to a bit of an unexpected place, interweaving current political themes and coffee imagery. She writes:

What if I didn’t speak
of The 2nd Amendment
today?

But only of fine
China teacups
Saucers, blue -n- white

Hand-painted flowers
And
Poetical stuff

Then I’d be a darn
Blasted fool
Pretending
To be
Someone
I am
Not.

Despite misconstrued
Ill-conceived, stereo-
Types,
Pistol-packin’
Momma’s don’t
Wanna
Fight.

Maybe, just
Maybe
I drink
From
A similar
Cup

As
You.

(or maybe mine
is a mug,
chipped,
stained
from
gloppy
coffee puddles)

Thanks for this piece, Darlene. It’s fun to see an author engage a tricky topic.

Now, it’s time to throw caution to the wind and dance in the purple rain. Who’s first?

Photo by Lady-Ro, Creative Commons via Flickr. Post by Seth Haines. 

________________

Buy a year of Every Day Poems, just $5.99 — Read a poem a day, become a better poet. In February we’re exploring the theme Purple, Plum, and Indigo.

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Seth Haines
Seth Haines
Seth Haines is a writer and photographer who loves the Ozarks, his wife and four boys, and a good collection of poems. He's the author of two books, both of which touch on addiction, sobriety, and spiritual formation.
Seth Haines
Latest posts by Seth Haines (see all)
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  • Exploring Poetry: Penning a Ghazal - October 18, 2013

Filed Under: Blog, color poems, Indigo Poems, Plum, poetry, Themed Writing Projects

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About Seth Haines

Seth Haines is a writer and photographer who loves the Ozarks, his wife and four boys, and a good collection of poems. He's the author of two books, both of which touch on addiction, sobriety, and spiritual formation.

Comments

  1. Maureen Doallas says

    February 4, 2013 at 9:14 am

    Congratulations to Darlene! Fun poem.

    Love the variety in that playlist, Seth.

    Here’s a trio I posted Saturday:
    http://writingwithoutpaper.blogspot.com/2013/02/color-rejoinders-poems.html

    Reply
  2. Robbie Pruitt says

    February 5, 2013 at 4:12 pm

    This prompt makes me think of a poem I wrote off of an Every Day Poems Prompt last April:

    http://www.robbiepruitt.com/2012/04/cobalt-and-resurrect.html

    I’ll have to think about Purple, Plum, and Indigo and come back with a more recent creation. . .

    Reply
  3. Robbie Pruitt says

    February 5, 2013 at 4:33 pm

    Lydia

    Seller of purple
    To excess and royalty
    Scent of lilac and lavender
    Extravagance for all to see

    Plum
    But not the fruit
    And not the color
    Plum
    Like no other

    Indigo
    Amidst
    Our day-glow
    Flowering
    With Lavender
    And Lilac
    We don’t turn back
    Maker, seller—Follower
    Of purple linen
    A sister—Our kin

    © February 5, 2013, Robbie Pruitt

    “On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.” –Acts 16:13-15

    Reply
    • Robbie Pruitt says

      February 5, 2013 at 9:26 pm

      Here is the poem, Lydia, on my blog:

      http://www.robbiepruitt.com/2013/02/lydia.html

      Reply
  4. HisFireFly says

    February 5, 2013 at 5:47 pm

    posted my first – perhaps not last —
    http://hisfirefly.blogspot.ca/2013/02/light-cracks-indigo.html

    Reply
    • Robbie Pruitt says

      February 5, 2013 at 6:00 pm

      This is so simply good. . . very plum. . .

      Thank you.

      Reply
  5. Lane Arnold says

    February 6, 2013 at 3:12 am

    In Purple Haze of Morning

    Plum perfect:

    As in the sunrise tickled me awake

    With lavender laughter.

    I slid down the bannister

    In my favorite periwinkle PJs,

    Inhaled the lilac,

    Then toasted the day

    with blueberries,

    as tart and bright as an amethyst,

    intoxicated with violet hues.

    Lane M. Arnold
    © 2013
    lanearnold.co
    Twitter: lanearnold

    Reply
  6. SimplyDarlene says

    February 6, 2013 at 4:05 pm

    Oh hey, whaddaya know, that’s my tricky politically-inspisred poem up there. 😉

    Thanks, mister Haines, for posting it here. What a shocker (and a blessing!).

    Purple, huh? I vaguely remember some purple rain song from my high school daze…

    Blessings.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth W. Marshall says

      February 26, 2013 at 8:33 am

      Congrats Darlene, great work. Love your voice. Always fresh, always engaging.

      Reply
  7. Jody Lee Collins says

    February 14, 2013 at 2:38 pm

    Ialso wrote about Lydia and love….
    http://threewaylight.blogspot.com/2013/02/indigo-scarlet-white.html

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Indigo Thomas | Seth Haines says:
    February 4, 2013 at 9:32 am

    […] with my musings for Tweetspeak Poetry. In February, we’ve kicked off a new prompt theme, and I’ve once again compiled a killer playlist to give you a bit of writerly inspiration. Want to hear it? Drop in to Tweetspeak today, where you’ll find Bella Fleck, Jimmy Hendrix, […]

    Reply
  2. Purple Plays (An Associative Poetry Prompt) - Tweetspeak Poetry says:
    February 11, 2013 at 8:30 am

    […] we’re composing poems that play with the theme. Perhaps you can gain a bit of inspiration from this month’s playlist, from a particular piece of artwork, or from your local purveyor of plums, eggplant, or […]

    Reply
  3. This Week's Top Ten Poetic Picks - Tweetspeak Poetry says:
    February 14, 2013 at 9:22 am

    […] Listen to our monthly playlist for a bit of inspiration. Read our weekly poetry prompts for thematic prompts. Then, go to town! Share your purple poetry with us, your indigo verse. And if you write our choice offering of the month, we’ll feature your poem in an upcoming Top Ten! […]

    Reply
  4. The Symbolic Duke and a Purple Play (A Poetry Prompt) says:
    February 20, 2013 at 9:30 am

    […] we’re composing poems that play with the theme. Perhaps you can gain a bit of inspiration from this month’s playlist, from a particular piece of artwork, or from your local purveyor of plums, eggplant, or […]

    Reply
  5. Let's Go Crazy--A Potpourri Purple Poetry Prompt says:
    February 25, 2013 at 8:00 am

    […] we’re composing poems that play with the theme. Perhaps you can gain a bit of inspiration from this month’s playlist, from a particular piece of artwork, or from your local purveyor of plums, eggplant, or […]

    Reply
  6. Poetic Voices: Jen Karetnick and E. Kristin Anderson - says:
    January 22, 2016 at 3:30 pm

    […] find all kinds of things to write poems about, like food, and cheese, and the rock star Prince. At least, we write about food and Prince when we are really writing about something […]

    Reply

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