Welcome to Day 22! Today's prompt is an idea of what to write about: an impossible machine. A machine that you wish existed, or a machine that really shouldn't exist, or simply one that might be quite fun or a bit dangerous but either way is definitely impossible. If you want some aesthetic inspiration, try skimming through this selection of steampunk machine images. And if you find yourself struggling to think up an impossible machine, follow the adage I always give my students: if you can't think of 1 idea, think of 20! Stop, grab a piece of paper, and write down twenty impossible machines.
For a type of poem, I have a couple of serving suggestions. First off, you could write a didactic poem, aka an instructional poem, one that tells the reader what to do. More specifically, you could write it as a manual, carefully explaining which levers to move, switches to flick, buttons to press, dials to twist, and so on.
Alternately (or combined with that) you could write it as a shape poem – you could draw the outline of your imaginary machine first, then write inside it, or grab a cog or selection of cogs from this image search and write to the shape of those.
The Meddling with Poetry course explores a host of different poetry forms as well as the musicality of language, poetic imagery, and other aspects of the poetic. It's 8 weeks long, one evening a week, and absolute beginners and experienced writers are equally welcome. You can read more details and book a place here.
