What YOU’RE writing (July 2025)

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Writing Prompt:

Summertime Poem

This month I want to offer a bit of a challenge, and perhaps a break from the typical reflective journal writing. Many of us do not claim to be poetry writers, either because we do not love reading poetry or we admit that writing poetry feels to difficult and “scares” us.

But I’m going to make it easy today to write a poem about summer. Begin by creating a brainstorming list of ways your senses experience summer (colors, sounds, sights, textures, etc.). Write as many ideas as you can.

If you’re ready to begin writing or typing those ideas into order, be my guest! If you want to turn this into a fun, experimental activity, write each idea from your brain storm list on a small slip of paper. Then find a large enough area to spread all of the ideas out and begin arranging them in order. Feel free to move ideas around or combining them.

Below I’ve offered three mentor poems for your inspiration.

1. Warm Summer Sun

by Mark Twain

Warm summer sun,
Shine kindly here,
Warm southern wind,
Blow softly here.
Green sod above,
Lie light, lie light.
Good night, dear heart,
Good night, good night.

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2. Midsummer, Tobago

by Derek Walcott

Broad sun-stoned beaches.

White heat.
A green river.

A bridge,
scorched yellow palms

from the summer-sleeping house
drowsing through August.

Days I have held,
days I have lost,

days that outgrow, like daughters,
my harbouring arms.

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3. A Recipe for Summer

by Mary Dow Brine

What is summer made of?
Of opening buds and flowers;
Of sunshine and of shadow,
And gracious little showers,
Of birds that in the tree-tops
Sing sweetly all the day;
Of buttercups and daisies,
And breath of new-mown hay. Of butterflies that hover
O’er every fragrant rose;
Of bees that gather honey
Where the honeysuckle grows.
Of brooks that murmur softly,
And thro’ the meadows glide:
Of shadows shifting gently
Adown the mountain-side. Of rainbows after showers,
Of starlight nights so still;
Of moonbeams shimmering softly
O’er every brook and rill.
Of mornings dawning sweetly
O’er dew-wet grass and flowers,
Oh! Summer time is only
A life of golden hours!

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Story Starter:

“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! July 1 marks National Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day as a day to sample or wonder about the odd combinations of ice cream flavors. The greatest thing about ice cream flavors is we have so many to choose from. Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, or cherry to name a few. The great thing about creative ice cream flavors is if you can imagine it, you can achieve it.” 

“The crowd was so thick around the store window she couldn’t see, so she pushed her way through until she saw the sign that caused all of the commotion: ‘Announcing! The world’s greatest ice cream competition.’ “

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