prompting poetry

The first poetry prompt exercise i came across that I enjoyed was "Peoms by Google." Basically you would Google search "____ is..." or " ____ are..." and then you have a poem according to what Google finds.

MY EXAMPLE POEM

"Friends are Google"

Friends are hard to find
Friends are loyal and trustworthy
Friends are hard to find
Friends are books: Guiding
Friends are doing this, new
Friends are important, and how
Friends are liberals
Friends are interested in exercise
Friends are athletes
Friends are made of paper
Friends are electric
Friends are reading

(source - http://theothermother.typepad.com/bigwindow/2006/04/poems_by_google.html)


The second writing exercise that caught my attention was [OverheaRd].
The suggestion here is to write a poem solely of overheard conversation. This one really caught my eye because my friends and I used to sit at diners and actually do this all the time. Some of them were extremely funny and my favorite consisted of a food shopping conversation. The famous stanza from that poem, which my friends still repeat to this day (6 years later) was:

"[...]
In and out
In and out
Her hands were full.
[...]"

(Source - http://theothermother.typepad.com/bigwindow/2006/03/open_19.html)


The last fun one i found was a challenge. There was a page of instructions, or you can use any kind of technical manual, and you have to erase all but 11 word from it to make a poem.

EXAMPLE WRITING TO USE - MANUAL

"Check the Fluid for a Hydraulic Clutch in Your Car
Cars with manual transmissions (stick shift) use either hydraulics (which uses fluid) or a cable to connect your clutch pedal to the transmission. If your car has a hydraulic clutch, the fluid must be checked monthly to ensure that it's full and there aren't any leaks.
Steps:
1.
Determine whether your car has a hydraulic clutch.
2.
Turn the engine off and open the hood.
3.
Look for a small plastic container about 1 inch in diameter located close to the back of the engine, usually near the brake fluid reservoir. It looks a lot like the brake fluid reservoir but it's smaller. Imagine that the clutch pedal went straight through into the engine compartment: this is where you'll find the clutch master cylinder and clutch reservoir.
4.
Check the fluid level. The reservoir is usually clear with a small round rubber cap on the top; it should be filled to the top.
5.
Add brake fluid if it's low.
6.
Replace the cap.

Warnings:
Take care not to spill brake fluid on yourself or the car's paint - it's highly corrosive. Wash your hands and wipe any spills with a rag.
If the clutch reservoir is consistently low you probably have a leak. The reservoir is very small so even a little leak can empty it out quickly. Without fluid, your clutch pedal is useless so you won't be able to shift, or to drive. See your mechanic if you suspect a"


MY EXAMPLE POEM FROM THAT WRITING
(I used 12 words, I'm a cheater)

Your fluid has a reservoir.
It looks like the compartment you'll spill.

(Source - http://theothermother.typepad.com/bigwindow/2005/02/open_12.html)