Quick note: Moriah Richard will begin her second annual February Flash Fiction Challenge on February 1. As a result, I’ll be releasing my Wednesday Poetry Prompts just a little later in the morning than usual (to avoid double posting).

For today’s prompt, take the phrase “Imagine a World…” and complete that phrase, make the title of your poem whatever word(s) you use to complete that phrase, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “Filled With Dinosaurs,” “Without Poems,” and/or “Where Chocolate Cake Improves Your Health.”

Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.

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Poem your days away with Robert Lee Brewer’s Smash Poetry Journal. This fun poetic guide is loaded with 125 poetry prompts, space to place your poems, and plenty of fun poetic asides.

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Here’s my attempt at an “Imagine a World…” Poem:

“without dentists,” by Robert Lee Brewer

telling children to sit down
& look up into the bright light
shining directly into their faces

after biting down on cardboard
to take images in the x-ray room
& then telling them to say awwwww

which is not something you say
in normal circumstances unless
you’re in pain or running from some

random alien or zombie invasion
or perhaps dinosaurs or maybe
saying something is cute but let’s

get real about the chances of finding
something cute in a room full
of weird metal and tube instruments

like that weird little water squirter
or weird little air sucker tubes
&/or metal picker/scraper thing

&/or little metal mirror thing
& having to carry on conversations
with someone sticking things

in your mouth & expecting responses
more involved than eah & o & awwwww
& honestly the worry & troubled thoughts

leading up to the possibility of laughing
gas & a long numbing shot before
the drill shooting tooth matter

into the air & the smell & fluoride
& everything all so clinical & sanitary
& serenely terrifying & of course

they protect us from tooth ache
& decay & a future of eating everything
as a sauce or smoothie or something

but a person doesn’t have to lie back
in a chair if everything is fine & don’t
even get me started on orthodontists