Tweetspeak Poetry

Poetry Prompt: Celebrity Pillows

By 31 Comments

poem on your pillow promptImagine your favorite celebrity emblazoned on a pillow, in the most regal way. That’s what the company, Replaceface does. Celebrity faces are emblazoned on canvas, iPhone cases, and yes… even pillows. It’s almost poetic to think of Bill Murray and Christopher Walken gazing out into the expanse of your bedroom or living room, dressed as elegant Russian generals originally painted by artist, George Dawe.

Dawe was an English portrait artist who painted 329 portraits of Russian generals, active during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, for the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia. His legacy lives on in ways we’re certain he couldn’t anticipate.

Since Poem on Your Pillow Day is coming up on Tuesday, May 3rd, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to imagine some of our favorite celebrities gracing our pillows—with a poem.

Try It

Use your imagination and creativity. If you were to choose any celebrity likeness to have printed on a pillow, who would it be? Write a poem about the famous face you’ve chosen and tell us why. It’s just crazy enough to work. Or, pretend you are the celebrity “replace-faced” and speak from your regal pillow position, out into the living room (or bedroom). How does it feel to be thus painted and pillowed? Where are you in the room? What celebrity grandeur, humor, loss, romance, or irony do you bring to the situation?

Featured Poem

Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s poetry prompt. Here’s a haiku from Sandra we enjoyed:

toes buried in sand
patch-free memories, writing
pirate poetry

—by Sandra Heska King

Photo by Petra Bensted. Creative Commons via Flickr.

Browse more writing prompts
Browse poetry teaching resources

How to Write a Poem 283 high How to Write a Poem uses images like the buzz, the switch, the wave—from the Billy Collins poem “Introduction to Poetry”—to guide writers into new ways of writing poems. Excellent teaching tool. Anthology and prompts included.

“How to Write a Poem is a classroom must-have.”
—Callie Feyen, English Teacher, Maryland

Buy How to Write a Poem Now!

Heather Eure
Latest posts by Heather Eure (see all)

Try Every Day Poems...

Comments

  4. Maureen says

    Bey of Revenge

    So much depends
    upon

    discovering
    good hair—

    whose it is, where.
    There is

    nothing hidden
    that won’t

    be revealed. Bey’s
    pillow

    chat’s no cheater’s
    fare. Lie

    enough, break her
    heart. Bey’s

    hive swarms and stings
    and smarts.

    Reply

      • Maureen says

        Thank you, Jon.

        I had hoped “Bey” would be recognizable as Beyonce’s moniker. I play with “good hair” and bee hive (aka “Beyhive”), and other references to the week’s hoo-ha on Twitter and elsewhere about Jay Z’s infidelity in Beyonce’s new album, ‘Lemonade’. I also rely on internal rhyme. There’s a quote from Luke there, too – what might be in a talk bubble were Beyonce’s face on the pillow.

        My lesson here is to take nothing for granted.

        Reply

        • Donna says

          I’m so glad you talked more about it. Thank you!

          As for taking things for granted, I love it when a poem sends me to google or the like. So often, as in this one, the feeling is there – transmitted even though the words are not all clear. Just my 2 cents…. poetry can lead to many kinds of awakenings. I love yours.

          Reply

          • Maureen says

            Thanks, Charity.

            I’m not much into pop culture and have never quite understood humans’ indulgence in celebrity junk. I was a bit amazed how the “Beyhive”, as it’s known, stung its way through the Internet, especially on FB and Twitter, mixing up Rachael Roy (fashion designer) with Rachel Ray (celebrity cook), trashing the latter as the “other woman”.

            I suspect a title change to, say, ‘Beyonce’s Revenge’, might still have sent to Google those who are not familiar with the singer and the daily ado.

            I appreciate your appraisal.

          • Maureen says

            Apologies! I meant to address my comment to Donna. (I just left a comment for Charity on the other post and had her name in my head still.)

  5. Monica Sharman says

    If your nighttimes are full of nightmarish things,
    get Donald O’Connor printed on your pillow.
    Ditch the insomnia, dream and sing with a clown
    who sang and danced athletic antics with grace—
    or tripped over a chair and bumbled and sidestepped
    all over the place. Paint on your pillow the man
    who would slip on a banana peel on his way
    to the guillotine just to make ’em laugh, make ’em laugh,
    don’t you know everyone wants to. Print on your pillow
    the actor (a comical one) whose cosmic monkeyshine
    kept ’em standing in line. Sleep on it and in your dreams
    laugh the whole night through to a good mornin’,
    good mornin’, to you and you and you and you.

    Reply

  6. Prasanta says

    I’m thinking of a fictional celebrity. I wonder what Sherlock Holmes thinks about while resting on his own pillow. Is it hard to sleep, and to shut off such an active brain?

    Connect, solve, seek truth
    ‘Tis Elementary — for you!
    Deciphering clues

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. […] NaPoWriMo’s “Lines from Another Poem prompt” NotaLiteraryJournal’s “Ode to Practicing prompt” Poetic Asides P-A-D “Exercise poems prompt” Poetry School’s “Definitions Prompt” Mariah Wilson’s “Getting Up Early prompt” QuillsEdge Press’ “This is What I Build prompt” Found Poetry’s “Homophonic-Interpretation prompt” Apparatus Mag’s “Conversation w/ Mark-Makers prompt” Jo Bell’s “Argument poem prompt” Indiana Humanities’ “Advertisement poems prompt” Mary Carroll-Hackett’s “Walking prompt” Kate Foley’s “Missed Connections prompt” Imaginary Garden’s “Where You Come From prompt” Tweetspeak Poetry’s “Celebrity Pillows prompt” […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *