4 June Poetry Prompts to Kick off Summer Writing
June marks the end of school and the beginning of summer. It’s an exciting time of year with poetry inspiration around every corner. Whether you’re writing a nostalgic poem about past summers or allowing powerful summer imagery to inspire you, the month of June gives us lots of places to look for writing ideas. Here are a few prompts to get you started.
1. Write about the feelings you have toward a father figure.
Father’s Day is June 20th this year, and while it provides an opportunity to celebrate the father figures in our lives, it can also be a complicated holiday for many people. Maybe you have a great father figure or maybe you had a very strained relationship. Maybe you are currently grieving the loss of a father or maybe you never got to know yours. If it’s not too painful, try and think of one of the main feelings that Father’s Day brings out in your heart and write about it. It can reflect the hurt that you’re experiencing or it can express hope or gratefulness. It is totally up to you and where your heart takes you.
2. Allow the Summer Season to Inspire You.
There’s an excitement and adventure that surrounds the summer season. Routines are interrupted and vacations are planned. Think of one aspect of summer that you enjoy, or even one you miss.
Your poem could recreate a hot summer day you spent at an amusement park or reflect on young love. You could also write about the things that you look forward to every year as a tribute to summer’s role in your life. For example, sitting around a campfire with friends could be an activity that sparks a nostalgic or reflective poem.
Alternatively, draw upon powerful summer imagery for a poem. (Think toes in the sand, crackling fires, ice-cold lemonade, fireworks, and lawn chairs in the tall grass…) Paint a picture for your reader about what summer means to you.
3. Write by hand to celebrate Ballpoint Pen Day.
Ballpoint Pen Day is June 10. For this prompt, let’s get back to basics. Take out a pen (a ballpoint pen, if you really want to celebrate!) and a notebook or piece of paper. Technology has changed the way we communicate, but there’s still something nostalgic and timeless about seeing words in our own handwriting and taking the extra time to focus and be present.
Now, with your pen and paper, write about something in your own life that has changed
this year. It could be good or bad, big or small. It could be a passing observation or something that’s been on your heart for a long time. Let the words flow freely from your mind to your paper.
Another option is to think back to the beginning of your writing journey. Who inspired you? Whose work did you look up to? How did these influences help shape you into the writer that you are now?
4. Imagine a Summer Getaway.
Summer often means vacations for a lot of people. While travel is more viable than it was last year, this summer may still look different than previous years. If you could go anywhere this summer without restriction, where would you go? Would you take the trip alone or with someone? Would you travel by boat or plane or even a hot air balloon?
Alternatively, what is a place you’d describe as your happy place? This could be somewhere near your home or far away—or it could even be somewhere you’ve only visited in books or in songs. What would a great summer escape look like for you this year? Write about it in as much detail as you can.
I hope these June prompts have given you something to think about. We can’t wait to see the beautiful poetry it brings out in you.
Happy writing, friends!
