Poetry Prompts—June 2026

Jun 05, 2026

Part of the purpose of Rabbit Room Poetry is to not only nourish your creativity with excellent featured work but also give you actionable steps for moving forward with your own poetic projects. At the beginning of every month, we share a roundup of poetry prompts created by our Director of Content, Andy Patton, to whet your imagination and launch you into the creative process.

For even more inspiration, practice these prompts in real time during our weekly Poetry Hour, and enter our Poetry Prism Contest! Details below…

Prompt #1: Imagism

Here are two Imagist poems from William Carlos Williams and Ezra Pound. Like their ancestor, the Haiku, imagist poems contain depths inside their brevity. This prompt—if you choose to accept it—is to produce one precise, concrete image to use in a poem.

Prompt #2: Biblical Reference

Today’s prompt comes from a poem we published on the Poetry Substack previously: Sarah Crowley Chestnut’s “WHATEVER IS.” Writing poetry in dialogue with the Bible reflects the human calling to mirror God’s nature as Creator. If you choose this prompt, start with the Bible, add your own words, and see where it leads.

Prompt #3: Creation

Our interaction with God’s creation is recursive. The high calling is reflected in Wendell Berry’s poetry, especially his poem “Best of Any Song.”

(Also, this prompt dovetails with the theme for our Rabbit Room Poetry Prism Contest—Word & World! See details below!)

Your Turn!

Think of these prompts not as homework assignments, but as open doors inviting you to walk through. How can you use these in your poetic practice this month?

Send Us Your Poems!

We’re looking forward to reading your own poetry as part of our Rabbit Room Poetry Prism Contest—submissions are open through June 30! Our theme is “Word & World.” Find out all details and submit here.

Come Write with Us!

If you’ve ever thought, I should write more poetry, Poetry Hours is for you. It’s simple: we hop on Zoom, say hi, and then write together in companionable silence.

When and Where?

• Poetry Hours happens on Zoom at Fridays at noon (CST).
• Sign up on this Google Form for a weekly email reminder.
• Or click on this link at the proper time to join: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83620694952?pwd=0vZlaESLDNER0hM7QxVEO67yVkuW0Z.1

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash