Seeking out some pure poetry inspiration? Even the greats like Robert Frost went into nature to become inspired; everyone has something that can spark and ignite some gorgeous poetry inspiration. And within this dazzling article, we’ll help you find it!
Coming from a poet with experience, we’ll guide you through some valuable steps, hints, and tips on how you can delight in your own pool of poetry inspiration while you jot away your wordsmith wonders. If you’re curious about the steps it takes to write a poem, we suggest learning those 6 simple and effective steps; we believe in you!
Poetry and poetry activities are for everyone. There’s no time to waste; you’ve got poems to create!
How Do You Get Poetry Inspiration?
So, how does one gain poetry inspiration? There can’t be potions and magic involved … right? Well, unless you count the rush of being inspired as magic, we must sadly say no. Alas, poetry inspiration is very obtainable if you are open to it.
Below, we’re going to list some tips and links on how you can access your very own inspiration, and our hope is that you can then tap into it whenever you set your mind to it!
- People watching: Nope, we’re not suggesting you stare at people or follow them around; people watching is when you’re out and about, and you’re simply noticing or observing the people around you. Some incredible writing inspiration can evoke from watching daily life and letting your mind wander and daydream. You can people-watch in a coffee shop, library, cafe, local park; you name it!
- Reading: Famous author Steven King once said, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” Straightforward, the King is correct! Even if you’re not reading in the genre you want to write in (Though it may assist you more if you do), reading is the ultimate tool to becoming a better and well-rounded writer. So, if you’re lacking some inspiration, give your creative tank a break and fuel it with the oasis of books.
- Go for a walk: Walking isn’t just good physical exercise; it’s excellent for the mind as well! When you’re walking, you’re activating the left and right parts of your brain; this often helps you clear your mind. Going for a walk can clear your head and make way for some writing inspiration. You may even see something on your walk that you want to make into a poem!
- Word lists: This may seem a little silly, but we promise there’s a good result in this! If you’re wanting to write a poem with a particular theme, for example, a woodlands theme, write down a list of all the words you can think of that would describe it or items/things that would be within that theme. Once you get going, you’ll most likely gain some momentum and become inspired by your growing list and start writing a poem that incorporates some of the words you’ve written down.
- Rhyming Lists: This is much like the point above, but instead, you’re making a list of words that rhyme together. This can especially help with poetry inspiration for a rhyming poem! If you’re having trouble coming up with rhymes, use RhymeZone for free!
- Listen to lyrical music: Music has the incredible ability to awaken our minds with images and evoke emotions within us, and this can be a perfect tool for harnessing some poetry inspiration!
- Admire artwork: Just as music can inspire our souls, as can admiring artwork. Take your time and look at artwork at a local gallery, or you can hop onto Instagram and look at #localart or even utilize Google’s Arts & Culture resource where you can bring the art gallery to you!
- Hype yourself up: You don’t have to jump up and down and crank up loud music to hype yourself up, but words of affirmation can do wonders. Remind yourself that you’re a creative being, and using poetry as an outlet is healthy and wonderful for you to engage in. It might sound cooky, but if you think about it, you’re with your thoughts all the time and your brain believes what you tell it. Just a thought (no pun intended)!
- Utilize your memo pad: You know that app on your phone where you can write notes? That’s a poet’s best friend. It’s like a journal that you carry in your pocket all day! Whenever you get an idea, a title, or the first few words of a poem, jot it down on a designated memo pad and seek this out when you’re in the writing spirit.
Where Do Poets Get Their Ideas From?
Now that we know how we can gather inspiration, where do poets get their ideas from? This can depend on the poet and the topics they wish to write poems about (which we’ll dive into specifics in the section below, so stick around!), but we’ll list some broad avenues you can take to access some original ideas of your own.
- Taking time to walk through nature and slow down your mind
- Using mental exercises such as imagining yourself in someone else’s shoes
- Choosing to write something that you’re passionate about
- Using poetry as a tool to heal from tough memories you have or are going through
- Imagining life in a different world
- Re-imagining a memory you have and adding a magic touch to it
- Writing about a societal problem/phenomenon
- Thinking of someone you love and writing about them
- Processing the pain someone else has inflicted on you by writing a poem about it
- Spending time with your pet companion; many great writers had a pet who was dear to them
- Search for some interesting facts and incorporate them in a poem
- Read through old tall tales or folklore and put your own spin on it
- Challenge yourself to write about an inanimate object
- Write from the perspective of an animal
- Focus on one particular emotion and write about it in detail
Poetry Inspiration Ideas
Alright, let’s get these poetry inspiration ideas popping! Below we’re going to list some topics, ideas, and prompts that can help you get your poetry inspiration engine chugging along. Intertwining these ideas with the tips you’ve read up above will help you bring out the best poetry inspiration outcome!
Please feel free to take these poetry inspiration ideas and run with them; whether you use the idea entirely or you twist it and make it something of your own, we hope you get to make some magical poems.
Love Poetry Inspiration
- Write a poem about a magical first date (Or, for comedic relief, a date that’s gone terribly because of the surroundings, but the two people end up liking one another anyway)
- Put your own twist on a Shakespeare ballad
- Have a line that repeats after every 4 lines, for example: “Yet I love [him/her/them] all the same, and I’ll always call [his/her/their] name”
- Incorporate a landmark into your love poem; two people meet at a lighthouse tour or fall in love underneath the trees of the redwood forest
- Think of your favorite TV, movie, or book couple; what is it about their relationship that you love so much?
- Listen to 40s and 50s love songs to get a vintage poetry inspiration
- Recall a time when you felt loved and in love; what did your heart and soul feel like?
- Challenge yourself to write about love from a perspective you haven’t thought of or explored
- Use the entire poem to describe someone from head to toe
- Write about two people who are too shy to tell one another that they like them
- Love isn’t just for young folks; write about the true and deep love of an elderly couple
- Create a poem that’s made up of a scene of someone expressing their love to someone for the first time
- Platonic love is alive and true; write about friendship or the love between a pet and their owner
- Love at first sight
- Challenge yourself to step inside the shoes of someone who is having an arranged marriage; what do they feel leading up to the wedding, and how does it turn out?
- If you listen closely, a lot of popular love songs could be translated easily into poetry form; write a poem that reminds you of a love song
- Lovers reuniting after being separated for a long time
- Choose a time period and write about a love story during that time
- You’ve heard of stories that have enemies to lovers, or friends to lovers tropes, why not put those in poetry form?
- Are there words or feelings you wish you could tell someone, but you’re not ready to yet? Write it in a poem and express yourself
Spoken Poetry & Free Verse Poetry Inspiration
- Pick an emotion and image you want to paint and center your free verse spoken poem on that
- Is there a political topic that gets under your skin? Let it all out in a spoken poem!
- Raise your voice and your cause, whether feminist or battling against racism, and create a poem voicing your frustrations and points
- Partner up with someone are write a two-person spoken poem
- Bring the listeners back to a memory of yours that you want to share
- Narrate what life would be like on another planet
- Write in free verse about the exquisite taste of a certain food or drink
- Create a poem about a single apartment building and all the different lives that go in and out
- Take your free verse poetry on a trip to the zoo, library, or cafe
- Bring a love story to life through the voice of a spoken poem or free verse poem
- Write a free verse poem in a narration of talking to someone you wish you could talk to; what would you say?
Nature Poetry Inspiration
- Narrate your poem as if you are talking from the perspective of a flower that’s observing the people that walk past it
- Describe the most beautiful place in nature you’ve ever witnessed
- Gain poetry inspiration by going for a walk, writing down elements you saw along the way, and writing a poem that incorporates those elements
- You’re walking through the woods, and suddenly a door appears within a tree …
- Write about someone making it to the top of an incredibly difficult hike
- Create a poem about star gazing in an open field
- Write a poem based on each season; what are their personalities, their hopes, dreams, and fears?
- Leaves turning colors in October
- The first snowfall of the year
- A bright summer day full of adventure
- Write about a person’s year and everything that happened/changed within the four seasons
- Describe a bike ride through the park
We applaud you for seeking out assistance and guidance for your poetry inspiration journey; each step counts and should be celebrated.
Curious to know how you can unleash your new poetry energy? April is National Poetry Month, along with Poem in Your Pocket Day! Embrace your inner poet and set your words out into the world. Your poems don’t have to seize there; continue on your journey and create your own poetry collections, zines, and more!