Writing Prompts: Ode to a City

Amsterdam City Canal | photo by Monica Volpin

City in Hawaii | photo by Olya Adamovich

Free Write Prompt

Close your eyes, and fully picture a scene in a city or in a town you hold dear (for whatever reason). Tell me about this place.  Write for 10 minutes.  Ready? Go!

Poem Prompt

​Using details from your free write, compose an ode to a city, a town, a place. Try the “ode elements" below. Will you personify your city? Write for 15 minutes, and go!

• Speak directly to your city or town.  Maybe personify it.
• Focus on giving it praise or thanks. (Oh, _____________!)
• Describe intellectually as well as emotionally. 
• Use verbs to bring that city or town to life. 
• Use repeated lines.

Example Poems

What is your ode city? Share some details in the comments.