Poets have a long tradition of honoring the seasons by writing poetry that celebrates spring and summer for bringing renewal to the land and warmth to our lives.
Rebirth is a common theme in poetry, so the spring season, with its fresh skies and new shoots, is a rejuvenating source of inspiration.
Summer is packed with sights, smells, and sounds: splashing water and fresh lemonade; barbecues and bike rides on the beach.
All of these things, and many more, find their way into poetry that pays tribute to the seasons that we enjoy during the warmer half of the year: spring and summer.
Poetry Prompts for Spring
Below, you’ll find three lists of words. Choose one of the lists and write a poem using all the words from the list. You can also mix and match words from different lists or try writing a poem using all the words from all the lists.
Some of the words in the list relate to spring but some do not, and you’ll have to find a way to make the poem (and the words in it) about spring.
Flower Buds | Blue-Gray Skies | Mud and Muck |
sprig shoot fresh plant garden |
showers dew rise blue clouds |
clean squeak shovel puddle dirt |
Poetry Prompts for Summer
Below, you will find five lists of words. Each list pertains to one of the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Choose one word from each list and write a poem that includes all five words. If you want to write a poem that appeals entirely to one sense, simply choose the list that corresponds (for example, the smell list) and use all the words on that list for your poem. To really challenge yourself, try writing a single poem using all the words from all the lists. That ought to really tickle the senses!
Sight | Sound | Smell | Taste | Touch |
Beach ball
Surfer Tourist Swimsuits Sunglasses Ice cream Boardwalk Jellyfish Lifeguard Fireflies |
Splashing
Waves crashing Seagulls Lawn mowers Fans (A/C) Children playing Ice cream truck Bees or crickets |
Barbecue
Chlorine Sunblock Coconut Watermelon Wildflowers Freshly cut grass Wildfires Summer rain |
Ice cream
Shaved ice Popsicles Iced tea Lemonade Cotton candy Popcorn Salt water taffy Sea (salt) water |
(Gritty) sand
Feet in water Flip-flops Hot concrete Warm breeze Freshly watered (or cut) grass Sun on your face Wet swimsuit against skin |
Did any of these prompts inspire you to write a poem? How often do you use poetry prompts to inspire your writing? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment, and keep writing (and reading) poetry!
The post Seasonal Poetry Prompts for Spring and Summer first appeared on Writing Forward.
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Author: Melissa Donovan