Just Write the Damn Poems
A Mouthful of Poems for April and Other Poem Things
Poetry was the first place I let the words be messy. Big. Mouthy. Beautiful. Poetry didn’t ask me to be palatable—it asked me to be honest. I think of how Shange danced language across the page like a second body. How Warsan Shire made grief into gospel. How Morrison told us the truth and made it feel like honey and thunder at the same time. They made me realize that voice isn't just about speaking—it’s about sounding like yourself, even when no one else gets the melody. Even when your truth comes out crooked or cracked or louder than you meant. Even when your softness is misunderstood.
Voice, for me, became less about volume and more about resonance. It became less about saying the “right” thing and more about saying your thing in a way that feels like home in your chest.
Poetry let me do that. It let me return to myself.
So, for National Poetry Month, instead of telling you to write every single day or dig into the trunk of your shadows, I’m offering you something softer. Something slower— PROMPTS! I know.. I know.. not more, but these prompts aren’t here to tear you open—they’re here to remind you that your voice is still yours. That you can write gently and still write something true.
A Mouthful of Poems —this month’s theme is about reclaiming language on your terms. It’s about saying the thing, even if you whisper it. It’s about letting the poem come to you without force. So here are 30 prompts to carry you through the month, organized into weekly themes to help you flow. Some of them might make you laugh. Some might make you pause. All of them are here to remind you that your voice matters, even when it’s quiet.
Week 1: Who I Am, When I’m Not Performing
If you didn’t have to explain yourself, what would you become?
Invent a name for the version of you that only shows up at night.
Use five made-up words to describe something ordinary.
Describe yourself using only metaphors from nature.
Create a self-portrait using textures instead of traits. (Are you velvet? Sandpaper? Cloud?)
What name would you give your softest self? Your boldest? Your most tired?
Describe yourself as a constellation. What stars are you made of?
Write a poem where you shapeshift halfway through.
Week 2: Things I Only Say in My Head
Not every truth needs to be loud. Some of them hum in the background, waiting.
Write a poem that begins in a whisper and ends in a question.
Imagine your thoughts had a sound—what kind of music would they make?
Describe a quiet place you carry inside you.
Write a love poem to your favorite part of the day.
Begin with: “I almost said something, but instead I…”
Write about what lingers after a conversation ends.
Use this line: “Some things don’t need to be loud to last.”
Week 3: Let the Poem Be Strange
For when you want to create without overthinking. These prompts are play.
Describe the world through the eyes of a bird on your windowsill.
Write a poem made entirely of questions.
Begin with: “Today, I believed in magic again…”
Pick a color. Write a poem about how it feels, tastes, and speaks.
If your voice were a city, what would it look like?
Turn a common phrase into a poem (“bite your tongue,” “word of mouth,” etc.).
Write a poem shaped like a spiral, a wave, or a circle—visually or thematically.
Week 4: Close the Door, But Leave a Light On
The final word doesn't have to shout to matter. What does closure sound like in your language?
Create a poem in the form of a “soft manifesto.”
Write a short poem of advice.
Turn a small memory into a blessing.
Describe your voice as a place someone could visit.
Write a poem in the form of a toast.
Use this line: “I speak for the soft things.”
Imagine you are writing the first line of your next chapter.
Make a list poem of everything you’re leaving behind (objects, beliefs, names).
End with a poem titled A Mouthful of Poems.
A Few Extras:
Choose a word you’ve overused in your life. Give it a new meaning.
Write a blessing for someone who hurt you—and mean it, just a little.
Write a poem where two inanimate objects fall in love.
Choose a random item in your room. Make it holy in a poem.
Write a poem as if it were a lullaby for your younger self.
A Poem:
Day 1
“Invent a name for the version of you that only shows up at night.”
A Playlist:
Let this playlist keep you company this month. While you write. While you sit in silence. While you try to find the words again. Because voice isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s a hum. A groove. A question. A looped chorus that says what you’ve been too tired to say.
So, whether you write one poem this month or thirty, whether your lines come out clean or tangled, I hope you remember this: your voice doesn’t have to be loud to be heard. You don’t need to bleed on the page for it to be real. Sometimes, softness is the most radical thing you can offer.
And if one of these prompts helps you speak something into the world that’s been sitting on your chest—then that’s more than enough.
Happy writing, babe. I’m rooting for your voice, always.
Lindsey Lavaughn
I gotta say. There's a lot of people posting poetry challenges this month, and these prompts are some of the most unique and inspiring I've come across. Thank you so much for sharing these! I only got part way through my first read because I started writing about "if my voice were a city, what would it look like"
This poetry month I️ am grateful for whatever random Substack algorithm allowed you to land on my notes feed!! Finally feeling seen with prompts that resonate. Thank you! 😊