Category Archives: A POETRY PROMPT

Mid-Month Poetry Prompt

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LIMERICK

This five-line rhyming poem is often silly, funny or bawdy. Limericks have a waltzing rhythm (anapestic) and a rhyme scheme of AABBA. The third and fourth lines are shorter with 5 or 6 syllables, while all other lines are around 8 or 9 syllables (but sometime up to 12).

Limericks were made popular by Nonsense Poet Edward Lear back in the 1870’s. The word Limerick is the name of a town and a county in Ireland, but there is no record to say that this poetic style originated there.

Limericks are traditionally about people or places, but there are plenty of ways to break the rules and still have a Limerick style.

Awfully silly by James Aitchison

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How awful

that awful

means awful,

when once it meant

full of awe!

How silly

that silly

means silly,

when once it meant

happy and blessed!

It’s awfully silly

how meanings have changed,

and what we say now

has to be re-arranged.

Like, once the silly

filled us with awe,

but we’re not in awe

anymore!

The Journey of a Word

Image from Pixabay

Vivid by Celia Berrell

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Eyes now closed,
here I lie
imagining things
within my mind’s eye.

A giant glass marble
with aqua swirls
that turns into
our tiny world
against a backdrop
of deep-dark space …
then next appears
your smiling face!

And guess what’s even crazier?
A thing called aphantasia.
Some people, even though they try,
simply don’t have a vivid mind’s eye.

Poem inspired from August picture prompt. Artwork: STARING AT CLOUDS by Jennifer Barrand

https://www.jennibarrand.com/

The Tomato Wars by Nicola Phillips

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Eee-ew!
Ishy, squishy tomato reeney;
Splat!
Right on my face.
Oohey, gooey tomato rooney
All over the place.
Tomato gunge in my hair,
Dangling off my shoe.
Up my nose,
Behind my ears.
What can I do?
Slushy, mushy tomato pulp
Flying through the air.
La Tomatina in full swing
This means TOMATO WARFARE!

Image from Pexels

Cloud Racing by Linda Davidson

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Jump on a cloud; let’s go for a race.

Mine’s an elephant with a smiling face.

Yours is a dolphin leaping over the waves.

He seems a bit wild; I hope he behaves!

Let’s race to the rainbow, glistening with light.

We’ll count all the stripes – so fun and so bright!

Then leap onto colour, floating down with a flutter

To land in the prize – a pot of golden butter.

Artwork: STARING AT CLOUDS by Jennifer Barrand
https://www.jennibarrand.com/

Poem inspired by August Picture Poetry Prompt.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious by Jeanie Axton

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A famous word in the dictionary
one that’s exceedingly long
renowned for many reasons
including a famous song.

Originally college slang
coined by students in ’31
meaning extremely wonderful
they spoke it out in fun.

Next came Mary Poppins
released in ’64
the word in song a legend
quickly woven into lore.

It’s believed to be an expression
for all that’s fabulous they say
singing it extremely loud
will brighten up your day.

“Can you say it backwards?”
Mary Poppins once said with a wink
Isn’t that going a bit too far?
What do you actually think?

Journey of a Word

Image from Pixabay

Triumphant Terrific by Celia Berrell

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“Terrific!”
This word
is rather heroic.
Rooted in
TERROR,
it’s far from bucolic.

It started out
living with
FEAR and DREAD,
but chose to be
BRAVE and HAPPY
instead!

The Journey of a Word

Image from Pixabay

August Poetry Prompts

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In the Spanish town of Buñol, La Tomatina is a festival where the biggest and messiest FOOD FIGHT takes place on the last Wednesday of August when people throw tomatoes at each other. Have you got a funny or messy story about food to share? In Australia, August is recognised as POETRY MONTH. Can you combine the two somehow? If not, we’re still delighted to receive your poems on other topics!

Send your poetic inspirations to Linda Davidson:

ozchildrenspoetry@gmail.com

Date prompts include:

Picture Prompt:

Artwork: STARING AT CLOUDS by Jenni Barrand

Play the bells (Journey of a word) by Jeanette Swan

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It’s a tick-tock clocka,

or that’s the word it used to be:

Let’s play the bells on the glockenspiel.

The bells would clang

for the missionary  monks,

and the word travelled ’round

with its clocka sounds.

A clock is a clanger

that hangs in the steeple.

Later, cloak comes from clock,

like a bell-coat for people.

So, the word for  bells pealing,

cloaks secrets, concealing

that clock is a contranym

– its very own antonym.

Image from Pixabay

An unfamous Australian by James Aitchison

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Sir Cyril Street was the first Australian

to fly round the world upside down.

So famous was he that you can see

his name on signs all over town.

He was all the talk when he reached New York,

thousands of people came out to gawk.

He landed in Delhi in such a hurry,

his propellor sank into someone’s curry.

He narrowly missed the Eiffel Tower

and set Big Ben back by an hour.

He crossed the Arctic, his wheels in the air,

where polar bears came out to stare.

What a hero was this aviator

that his fame has still persisted,

though no one knows when he died

because he never really existed.

Image from pexels