The prose poem essentially appears as prose, but reads like poetry. This poem is constructed in sentences and paragraphs, as opposed to lines and stanzas. It does maintain a poetic quality and utilizes poetic techniques. Rhythm and pace is intentional.

There isn’t a distinct definition of how you write a prose poem. There are some traits that are common to most prose poetry:

• Experimentations in syntax and sentence structure.

• A charting of the unconscious mind.

• The use of poetic and sonic devices, from metaphors and symbols to assonance and consonance.

You can find additional definition of the term prose poem in A Poet’s Glossary by Edward Hirsch.

Below are some examples:

“dear white america” Danez Smith

‘Tired” Fenton Johnson

“Flight” Idrissa Simonds

Prompt:

Write a love poem for someone who needs it, even if it is you. Think of the poem as a letter written to the person who needs it. Give it a title that speaks to the intention for the letter.

The sonnet is a fourteen-line poem written utilizing one of several rhyme schemes, and adhering to a tightly structured thematic organization. The Petrarchan and the Shakespearean are the two most well known sonnet types. 

The American sonnet is a looser, more musical and inventive variation than its traditional counterpart. Having no required rhyme scheme or specific meter, the poet has freedom to innovate their own constraints within 14 lines. Some do contain a volta like the Petrarchan sonnet. The volta is a turn in the poem and usually occurs between the eighth and ninth lines of the poem. 

Terrace Hayes American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin is a critically acclaimed example of the American Sonnet is the work of Terrace Hayes. The 2018 poetry collection was a National Book Award finalist. You can read a couple of the poems here.

Prompt:

Write an American Sonnet that ends in a new world. Consider how to build to the reveal of this new world. Set the stage for why the new world is necessary in the first few lines of the poem. Then close with what this new world is, means, and will provide.