Poetry prompts that ask for "a poem about loss" yield rhymes about shadows. Better prompts specify formal behavior: where lines break, what is forbidden, how many syllables may share a dental consonant. You are not outsourcing the poem—you are forcing accidents worth keeping.
Prompt 1: Enjambment-only draft
Write 12 lines about [subject]. Every line must end on a function word (the, and, of, to) or mid-phrase. No end-stopped lines. No rhyme. After line 12, suggest 3 alternate break points for line 4 only.
Prompt 2: Stress map
Given this prose sentence, break it into 6–8 lines so the stress pattern alternates (stressed syllable at line end, then line start, repeat). Note which words you had to sacrifice. Prose sentence: [Paste one sentence]
Prompt 3: Anti-lyric list
Write a poem using only concrete nouns from a hardware store aisle. No metaphors. No "soul," "heart," "dream." One verb per line max. Title must be a SKU-style code (e.g. Aisle-7-Bracket).
Prompt 4: Collaborative erasure
Step 1: I provide 150 words of prose. Step 2: You delete 60% of words, keeping only nouns and verbs that imply violence OR tenderness (not both in the same line). Step 3: Break remainder into lines. Do not add words. PROSE: [Paste]
Keeping your authorship
Take the model's break suggestions as options, not verdicts. Read candidates into a voice memo. The line that makes you slightly uncomfortable on the third listen is usually yours—not the machine's.
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