Welcome to National Poetry Month!
Flex your creative writing muscles with these poetry prompts!
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The Spice of Life: Choose a spice from your kitchen cabinet, and relate its flavor to an event that has happened recently in your daily life.
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Last Words: Use the last sentence from the nearest book as the inspiration for the first line of your poem.
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A Letter : Make a list of 5 words that start with all with the same letter, and then use these items throughout the lines of your verse. (For example, if you pick C, use words like cream, carriage, carrot, common, and courage).
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First Car: Write an ode to your first car.
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For What It’s Worth: Use a valuable object in your home as inspiration as a poetry prompt idea.
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Anticipation: Write about the feelings you experience or things you notice while waiting for something.
(Source: Chelle Stein, March 24, 2023 Think Written Blog. https://thinkwritten.com/poetry-prompts/)
Spring Into Poetry 2025
Whether you love the rhythm of rhyme, the power of free verse, or the elegance of a haiku, this is your chance to shine. April is National Poetry Month, and to celebrate, San José Public Library will be hosting our Annual Poetry Contest. Share your original, unpublished work and you could win a prize. Entries will be published via SJPL’s Short Edition platform.
We welcome poets of all ages and skill levels. No experience needed – just a passion for words! Submissions will be accepted from April 1-30.
Learn More about Spring Into Poetry
Read More Poetry
If you’re looking for couplets and rhymes, These poetry collections shine. If in need of a poem, Take one of these home, For enjoyment in your downtime. Discover new and explore established poets, or dig through an anthology to appreciate many styles speaking around a specific subject, and take a moment to appreciate beautiful language with powerful messages. Poetry (structured and free verse, sometimes with prose) collections and anthologies selected by SJPL Librarians.
Add a comment to: Spring Into Poetry 2025: Prompts to Try!