Writing Exercise #95

Write a poem using one of these chapter titles from Baum's classic The Marvelous Land of Oz as the title of your poem:


The Marvelous Powder of Life

The Awakening of the Saw-horse

A Nickel-Plated Emperor

A Highly Magnified History

The Prisoners of the Queen

The Riches of Content



Of course, there are NO rules to my prompts. They are free to you and you can do whatever the heck you want with them. Remember (and I say this every year) there is no right way to answer a writing prompt.


If you need a kickstart, read Amy Gerstler's poem Advice from a Caterpillar (which is the name of a title in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll)

Advice from a Caterpillar

Chew your way into a new world.
Munch leaves. Molt. Rest. Molt
again. Self-reinvention is everything.
Spin many nests. Cultivate stinging
bristles. Don’t get sentimental
about your discarded skins. Grow
quickly. Develop a yen for nettles.
Alternate crumpling and climbing. Rely
on your antennae. Sequester poisons
in your body for use at a later date.
When threatened, emit foul odors
in self-defense. Behave cryptically
to confuse predators: change colors, spit,
or feign death. If all else fails, taste terrible.