Task 58 Letter to Future Self

Write a poem in the form of a message or letter to your future self.

Task 57 Poem Perspective

Write a poem from the perspective of a character in a fairy tale.

Task 56: Dream

Write a poem based on a dream you had. Try to reproduce the sensations of the dream.

Task 55 Your Shadow

Write a poem about your shadow. (Some ideas for brainstorming: How does it change when you move? What does it look like in different kinds of light, in different situations? What would happen if you lost it? Does it have a secret life?)

Task 54 In a Fog

Write about not being able to see ahead of you physically or metaphorically. 

Poem #101 Viva Voce

They’d been playing for a funny

Screwed up his red eyes

In the house

There’s people I don’t like

Studying through

The telephone telling morning over

Something out hung up Young man

With all your stories

Be polite introduce people

Fell down dead

Don’t ask a lot of questions

I’d know the truth about exactly what happened

A curious case down the gravel path

Give you a lead until you get the statement

So horrified by the sight: Man with the red nose

Laid them on top of the ready pile of jammed powder

I’ve tasted the luck been my very worst friend,

Beginning to the end a touch hangin’ round by his coffin

A minute before morning

Drunk out beer bitter hanging

Laid on the shelf

Tell him for hours

In fountains of air,

Eyes flood, salty sea.

Task 53 Set of Three

Choose a set of three elements and write a story that contains all three of them! 

1.    A stolen ring, fear of spiders, and a sinister stranger.

2.    A taxi, an old enemy, and Valentine's Day.

3.    Identical twins, a party invitation, and a locked closet.

4.    A broken wristwatch, peppermints, and a hug that goes too far.

5.    Aerobics, a secret diary, and something unpleasant under the bed.

6.    An ex-boyfriend, a pair of binoculars, and a good-luck charm.

7.    An annoying boss, a bikini, and a fake illness.

8.    The first day of school, a love note, and a recipe with a significant mistake.

9.    A horoscope, makeup, and a missing tooth.

10.  A campfire, a scream, and a small lie that gets bigger and bigger.

Extreme challenge: combine three of the elements with one of the other short story ideas on this page.