The Value of Writing Prompts: Every Day Poems

By writing much, one learns to write well

- Robert Southey

Though I’m not new to writing, I’ve recently put a timid toe into the foreign water of poetry. Because poems are generally limited to a page, the topics and themes of a “poet” (I use the term loosely when describing myself) vary more frequently than those of a novelist/essayist. Inspiration can be difficult and thought ruts are a daily hazard.

In January I discovered a poetry site called Every Day Poems. The site encourages readers to read and write a poem every day. If you connect to EDPoems on Facebook or Twitter they offer poetry prompts - photos or phrases - to get your creative juices flowing.

Since my discovery of Every Day Poems, I’ve written poems on topics I never would have considered otherwise. A recent prompt was a photo connoting a modern day “Little Red Riding Hood.” As a result, I penned this re-telling of the familiar fable. 

What if the story you've always heard about Little Red Riding Hood wasn't the story at all? What if Little Red went to the woods, not to visit her Grandmother, but to visit a love? What if she went to the woods or vengeance sake, to settle a score with the one who stole the heart of her lover? What if there were two girls in the woods that day, and only one survived. What if there was no wolf at all?

Little Red Retold

No one knows,

but we, the trees

the truth behind the tale

of the fabled one,

with alabaster skin

and a crimson riding cloak

who went to a house,

so deep in a wood

no one should hear a scream

and there saw the girl,

not old, but a girl

who rivaled for the heart

of a woodsman who

heard the screams of the girl

and rushed to see his love

in a blood-red haze,

of life and death

and competing vacant stares.

It was a Grimm tableau,

of horror and hate

that turned into a tale

of a devious wolf

and an innocent girl

who trusted far too much.

For who could know,

but we, the trees

that only a Tell Tale Heart

wears a Scarlet cape,

with a cumbrous hood

into a dangerous wood?

Though no wolf prowled,

we heard the screams

that came from the daggered girl,

not the one with the cape

but the one who was true,

who lived in a treacherous wood

I have no illusions the poem is a masterwork, but the prompt forced me to tackle an unusual subject, which is great practice and essential to good writing.

For a scant $2.99/yr, Every Day Poems delivers sunshine to your inbox each morning and writing prompts that inspire. This small investment pays back in spades. Buy a year of Every Day Poems here:

Full Disclosure™: There may or may not be a coveted chocolate prize for those who participate in their May Theme – Spontaneity.