Poetry Prompt Day 8 - Taylor Mali "Love is like..."

Photo courtesy photos-public-domain.com

I first heard of Taylor Mali when I attended a rally for public school educators in Washington, DC. Mali is a well-known slam poet and a very vocal advocate of teaching and teachers. His poem "What Teachers Make" has been a rally cry for myself and many others. His words inspired me and I was curious to find out more about him.






I suppose I'm a bit of a late-comer to the poetry slam movement, but as I linked from one video of his to another and then another, I began to feel the words in ways I had not before. I dug deeper and found other slam poets that moved me, challenged me, and inspired me to push my own writing in new ways. Here is one of my favorites of the performances I found:





Writing Prompt: Begin with the words "Love is like..." and brainstorm all the things that come to mind. Use this list as a jumping off point for a poem that compares love to a single object as in the video. Or use many of your ideas to string together a "Laundry List of Love". Most important, HAVE FUN!

Suggested Poetry Form: Ode

~Amy McGrath