Paint Chip Poetry Prompt #52
We made it! Fifty-two weeks of paint chip prompts. Thank you to everyone who has participated, whether you’ve written a poem every week or just once, or even if you’ve just come by to read the paint-chip-inspired poems. I appreciate you all. It’s been a blast.
The Challenge
I decided to pull our theme from my second poetry book Rejoice! Rejoice! Poems for the Holidays. However, instead of randomly choosing a page, I picked the first poem in the book. Our theme is Silence. Seems appropriate for a relatively quiet holiday season.

The words and phrases you have to work with are sprig of mint, smoke signal, dragonfly, black cat, faded denim, dust devil, and prickly pear. My challenge to you is to pick just one of these words, the one that most symbolizes silence for you, and write four tercets with a clear rhyme scheme. Or you could choose to write a triolet.

My Poem
The paint chip I’ve selected for my poem has the greatest potential for being noisy instead of silent: black cat. But this Christmas black cat and silence go hand-in-hand for me.

Silent Paws On silent paws the stealthy black cat Sauntered by the back door mat Then quietly in the windowsill sat Yet he could thunder like a cattle herd Racing down the hall quite blurred Scaring away every sweet song bird I remember the days of yore When trouble the cat had in store Trying to sneak out the French door Now he's moved out with our son All is quiet when the day is done Opportunities for a lap cat are none
Your Turn
Now it’s your turn. Pick a paint chip and start writing tercets. You can share your poem in the comments, or you can post it on your blog and share a link in the comments. You can choose to strictly follow the prompt or creatively deviate from the parameters I’ve set out. The main thing is to have some fun.
Since today is Christmas Day, I’d be remiss if I didn’t wish you all a very Merry Christmas. And here’s to a new year of new paint chip prompts. I’ll be mixing it up a bit starting next week. I still haven’t decided quite what I’ll do, but I have no doubt it will be fun.
14 Responses
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Pingback: Thinking About Silence | revivedwriter
Here is mine! This was an inspiring theme and set of words this week.
https://revivedwriter.wordpress.com/2020/12/28/thinking-about-silence/
To Linda
Each week she chooses chips at random
And a theme we are to use in tandem
Sometimes the words flow effortlessly
Other times we seem to struggle incessantly
The challenge is simple and spelled out in detail
Although we often falter and blaze our own trail
She does it for her love God no matter what the season
Each of us accepts the challenge for our own unique reason
For me it has been quite therapeutic and even a little fun
It helps to fertilize my soul and allows my thoughts to run
I thank you Linda for the challenge each week
To put down in words what my heart wants to speak
Thank you so much for this sweet poem. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this paint chip journey. I have loved reading your poem each week.
Silent Smoke Signal – a silent triolet
https://ronrowland.com/silent-smoke-signal/
Happy Christmas, Linda! I tried a form, which was new to me as a writer. https://suestrifles.wordpress.com/2020/12/26/paint-chip-challenge-52-silence/
Oh my, sounds like a great prompt, Linda! I hope you had a much-blessed Christmas–mine was the best I can remember, God is TOO GOOD!
https://mehflowers.wordpress.com/2020/12/26/natures-calm/
Merry Christmas everyone!!
https://padresramblings.wordpress.com/2020/12/25/silent-visitor-a-triolet/
I totally forgot about last week’s paint chips! 😢
Have a very merry Christmas, Linda. 🎄🙏
No worries. I almost forgot about this week’s. 🤭😉