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Boxes & Baskets: Animate Poetry Prompt

By Heather Eure 12 Comments

boxes and baskets promptAnimate is a poetry prompt that focuses on speaking as if we are a particular object or thing. This time, we’re speaking as boxes & baskets.

Prompt Guidelines and Options

1. Speak in the first person.

2. Be specific. Think nouns instead of adjectives.

3. Consider where you—a box or a basket—are located, or where you came from, or where you are going. Or, speak as if you have a special desire or concern: maybe you are hungry, missing something, afraid of a sight or sound, in love with another box or basket that is like you or not like you (a box falling for the UPS driver!). Be creative. Any type of situation is fair game.

4. Consider doing a little research about the box or basket you will speak as: folklore, history, associated words, music, art, sculpture, architecture, fashion, science, and so on. Look for unusual details, so you can speak convincingly and intriguingly about yourself.

That’s it! We look forward to hearing you speak poetically, from the viewpoint of boxes & baskets.

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Featured Poem

Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s poetry prompt. Here is part of a recent poem by Katie we enjoyed:

forward and backward
dancing, you go
backward and forward
surely and slow.

—by Katie

 

Photo by Raita Futo. Creative Commons via Flickr.

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How to Write a Poem 283 highHow to Write a Poem uses images like the buzz, the switch, the wave—from the Billy Collins poem “Introduction to Poetry”—to guide writers into new ways of writing poems. Excellent teaching tool. Anthology and prompts included.

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  • Author
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Heather Eure
Heather Eure
Heather Eure has served as the Poetry Editor for the late Burnside Collective and Special Projects Editor for us at Tweetspeak Poetry. Her poems have appeared at Every Day Poems. Her wit has appeared just about everywhere she's ever showed up, and if you're lucky you were there to hear it.
Heather Eure
Latest posts by Heather Eure (see all)
  • Poetry Prompt: Misunderstood Lion - March 19, 2018
  • Animate: Lions & Lambs Poetry Prompt - March 12, 2018
  • Poetry Prompt: Behind the Velvet Rope - February 26, 2018

Filed Under: Animate, Blog, Boxes & Baskets, poetry prompt, poetry teaching resources, writer's group resources, writing prompt

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Comments

  1. Katie says

    November 6, 2017 at 9:44 pm

    Heather,
    Thank you for using part of “The Prince of Andalusia” as your featured poem.
    Gratefully,
    Katie

    Reply
  2. Katie says

    November 10, 2017 at 9:15 pm

    While reading Andy Catlett, Early Travels by Wendell Berry today I revisited a fond memory from my childhood – my mother’s button box. I recall my mom sending me to retrieve it from the shelf in the pantry many times when she was sewing or mending. I loved the feel of running my fingers through the four or five inches or so of buttons of all colors, shapes, and sizes. We recycled worn out clothes as rags and so needed to cut off the buttons so as not to scratch the car when washing or polishing.

    Here are a few simple cinquains from my recollection:

    buttons
    some had four holes
    others just two for thread
    to fasten the shiny round disc
    firmly

    many
    many missing
    buttons from shirts and pants
    washed and worn enough times to need
    repair

    & an acrostic

    Buttons
    Used
    Time &
    Time again
    Over
    -N -over

    By
    Our
    X-tra caring mom:)

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      November 13, 2017 at 7:38 pm

      Love these!

      Reply
      • Katie says

        November 13, 2017 at 8:19 pm

        Thank you, Debbie:)

        Reply
  3. Katie says

    November 11, 2017 at 6:05 pm

    Bent straw
    Also twigs and rushes
    Swirling around the handle
    Klutching, holding, nesting
    Evening mealtime biscuits
    Treasure of flour and shortening and love.

    Reply
  4. Kaiya Rose says

    November 12, 2017 at 9:24 am

    I’m a Jack-in-the-box.
    I’m trapped in the box.
    Wound up, soon to spring
    Back out of the box.
    But the walls are too tight
    The ceiling is closed
    And I have to stay
    Put away in the box.

    Reply
    • Shannon says

      November 14, 2017 at 10:53 am

      Kaiya, this is great! Your words really show me the tension poor Jack is feeling. Maybe one day you will write about what happens when someone turns the crank? 🙂

      Reply
      • Kaiya Rose says

        November 15, 2017 at 6:31 pm

        Oooh, great idea! Thank you, Shannon!

        Reply
  5. Katie says

    November 12, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    Kaiya, I love your poem! Thank you for sharing:) Gratefully, Katie

    Reply
    • Kaiya Rose says

      November 12, 2017 at 7:26 pm

      Thanks, Katie!

      Reply
  6. Katie says

    November 15, 2017 at 1:51 pm

    box or
    basket, lid or
    holes, guess it must depend
    on what the intended contents
    will be

    Reply
    • Katie says

      May 17, 2018 at 11:52 pm

      basket
      or box, holes or
      lid, guess it must depend
      whichever the contents you will
      put in

      Reply

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