An image of a person holding coffee, surrounded by books and blankets.

Take some slow, deep breaths.

Now, bring your awareness to your surroundings. Notice something beautiful. This can be something that you see, that you smell, that you touch, taste, or hear. Write this down. It can be one word, or a few words of description. For example: The sound of leaves rustling outside, or the music that you’re listening to, or the sunlight coming through your window. If you are struggling to find something, call to mind something beautiful that you encounter in your day to day life, like the smell of your favorite shampoo. This is the first line of your poem.

Next, bring to mind something beautiful that exists beyond your surroundings, and beyond your day to day life. Perhaps it is a beautiful place you’d like to visit someday, or an inspirational person who you have yet to meet, or something new that you’d like to try. Write this down, too. This is the second line of your poem.

Last, think about something within you that makes you beautiful. Perhaps this is your creativity, or your courage, or your kindness. There are endless things you could write. This is the third line of your poem.

These three lines will form the first stanza of your poem. Each stanza will contain three lines: one with something beautiful around you, another with something beautiful beyond you, and the last with something beautiful within you.

Repeat this process as many times as you want, until you feel your poem is complete.

This prompt was written by Grace Ferber, a Words Alive volunteer.