Writing poetry can be a challenge, and writing 30 poems in 30 days is quite a task. There will always be days in which you just don’t feel very creative or inspired. Words that seemed to flow on one day are tangled and frozen on another day. This happens to everyone. Here are a few things I do to get unstuck.
Meditate. I have several guided meditations on my iPod. I download them for free from http://www.zenworlds.com/. I also have my own simple meditations. I usually focus on a single word such as clarity or inspiration while I slowly breathe in and out. Sometimes you simply need to calm your mind in order to get back on track.
Walk. Walking is its own form of meditation and can often provide inspiration. Â The advantage of walking is that you engage your body and help relieve physical tension while you observe the world. This can often lead to new insights or new ideas.
Use the Random Article link on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random. The beauty of the random link is that it can pull up just about anything. I have often discovered things to write about while exploring this never-ending encyclopedia. Sometimes it just takes a single word or phrase to inspire a poem.
Create your own prompt. For each day of this project, I post a poetry prompt. Prompts are actually just constraints. You pick a word or phrase, a line length, a topic, and you try to write a poem using it. A constraint helps you focus. It is like having a menu to order from.
Today’s Poetry Prompt
Write a poem that involves an animal.
Curse of the Black Cat
Cat yack
The dreaded hairball
It can happen anywhere
The office rug
The bed
The couch
Anywhere but on the tile
That would be too easy
No pill
No food
Slows down the constant march
Of hair through his body
And onto fabric
I want to vacuum him
Shave him
Mousse him
Anything to keep the fur
Out of his mouth
And my life
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