At first glance, it sounds whimsical and carefree. But dive a little deeper, and you’ll find it’s a portal into seasons’ secrets, voices, and stories waiting to be penned.

“Summer is Singing” offers multiple perspectives to play with - each one could deliver a a distinct, musical take on summer:

1. Nature as Vocalist - Write a poem where "summer" takes a mic, singing the mossy secrets of shady paths or the lullaby of slow afternoons. Think about what else sings in summer - cicadas buzzing, waves on the wind, etc.

2. An Inanimate Witness - Let objects narrate the season. An old porch swing hums in creaks, memories of childhood laughter. A summer garden gate recites memories of those who have come and gone, befriends tiny lady bugs that crawl upon her iron, and guards the longest days of the year sturdily. Transform everyday objects into vocalists, and let them speak of change, warmth, and loss.

3. The Weather Itself - Make the sunlight or breeze the poet. Humidity humming against skin and clothes. Sunlight dancing through leaves, slipping into windows, whispering on walls. Thunderstorms as crescendos: the dramatic high notes before the hush. Give atmospheric elements their own voice, with lines that sound as light or heavy as their subject.

4. A Human Singer - Write from a person’s point of view: The gardener: coaxing blooms, feeling the season’s pulse through your fingers The sunburned child: tasting lemonade, ears ringing with distant fireworks The night-shifter: walking home under cicada solos, thinking: “Summer knows me better than I know myself.” Imbue your narrator with the music of summer—rhythms in their breath, heart, or steps.

5. Season as Memory - Let summer be nostalgia’s soundtrack. Echoes of past summers: a song on the radio, a smell, a laugh carried on wind. The bittersweet farewell: end-of-season ice-cream drips, long grass shriveling, school backpacks. (Im)permanence: the sun singing temporarily before September steals the stage. Anchor your poem in an image that’s “singing” to you—a memory, phrase, or sensation bursting with summer’s resonant weight.

Next time you feel that sweltering warmth, step onto your porch—or stay in bed—turn your senses up and ask: What is summer singing to me today? Then start writing and let that melody pour onto the page.

Day 3: July's Poetry Prompt Challenge

A Poetry Prompt Worth Your Ear 

At first glance, it sounds whimsical and carefree. But dive a little deeper, and you’ll find it’s a portal into seasons’ secrets, voices, and stories waiting to be penned.



Day 3: July's Poetry Prompt Challenge

A Poetry Prompt Worth Your Ear

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Ellie Hoovs

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