There are many verses and poems attributed to the symbol of a horizon. In her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses horizon imagery from the very first sentence:
“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.”
To define the word horizon usually takes a bit of poetry as its meaning can be as deep and wide as the landscape on which it settles. Place, time of day, and direction all play a part in the visual expression of a horizon.
Try It: Horizon Poetry
Take a walk at sunrise or sunset. Look through photographs of unforgettable landscapes. Write a poem that expresses either your definition of the word horizon or the deeper meaning of what it represents to you. Paint a picture of your horizon for us. Place your poem in the comment section below. We’ll be reading.
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Featured Poem
Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s poetry prompt. Here’s a snowflake-inspired poem from Maureen we enjoyed:
Snow and Ice
We speak,
you bracing
your words —
flakes of snow —
against my slivers
of ice.
Picture steles
deflecting
the sound
of loss
without
the wanting.
What breaks
apart
becomes two
floes stilled,
missing
their chance
to collide
below water.
Photo by davebloggs007, Creative Commons via Flickr.
Browse more writing prompts
Browse poetry teaching resources
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
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Rick Maxson says
At the Horizon
All morning you stared past the waves
to where time vanished into the sky.
Beyond that line you could not see me
looking back now with wonder, from where
I tell you not to be afraid of approaching horizons.
Did you imagine tide pools there
your child’s arm thrust deep in their waters,
where sightless stars felt the light
touch of your sightless fingers?
Donna Falcone says
Rick, this poem feels magical… especially that ending of sightless meetings.
And this line- it feels like a song lyric; time vanished into the sky
Thank you for sharing your beautiful words!
Maureen says
Lovely poem, Rick.
Heather Eure says
“Sightless fingers.” Love that. Summing up your poem and last verse: Captivating.
Prasanta says
Beautiful!
Monica Sharman says
My favorite part is the line break after “light.”
Donna Falcone says
vanishing points:
horizontal trickery –
no real end to cite
Maureen says
Donna,
I like that you used “to cite” instead of, for example, “in sight”. It disrupts the reader’s expectation.
Donna Falcone says
Thank you. 🙂
Heather Eure says
I like how Maureen described your poem. She nailed it.
Prasanta says
Concise and very clever!
Donna Falcone says
Maureen… yep… I love this one even more today. 🙂 So glad to see it featured here.
Maureen says
Thank you, Donna.
Prasanta says
Horizon
Stride toward golden
Thin thread ahead, where earth’s lines
Meet vast, open sky
Life’s journey – pacing
Toward Imaginary
And visible ends
Donna Falcone says
I love the golden thin thread you have created here. 🙂
Prasanta says
Thank you, Donna. 🙂
Heather Eure says
“Imaginary And visible ends.” Your poem feels like an invitation to experience life this way. I like it. Thanks for sharing.
Prasanta says
Very kind of you, Heather. Thank you.
Monica Sharman says
His face
was like what lies
an extra curve behind the horizon—
breaking through purples and blues:
shades of red, the origin
hidden behind that undefined line
Heather Eure says
The extra curve draws me in. Thank you, Monica.
Prasanta says
Lovely piece, Monica. I like it.
Debbie says
Eyes focused,
I am watching you in all your glory
My mind wanders,
Do you see me,
I am far from the place I call home
I watch you as you settle for the day
Your beauty has followed me
Eyes focused
I thank you for sharing the day
I thank you for sharing in your exit to slumber
I drift into my own peace
I thank you
Katie says
Beautiful and comforting!
Debbie says
Thank-you for your kind comment.
LINDA REID says
I’ve seen sunsets like that before-
where the bright egg-yolk like sun
gently melts into an orange background
and the silloetted frame of trees
gives depth to a mesmerized horizon.
it brings back thoughts of another
time and place – another country
that I saw the same sunset
and then that time and this time are linked together
and forever intertwined.
Linda Reid
I know I didn’t spell one work correctly-could not find it in the dictionary.
Katie says
silhouette
In the winter I see the sunset for much longer and more completely looking out my bay window. It always reminds me of a jigsaw puzzle my hubby and I did years ago of a huge oak silhouetted by a sunset. So beautiful how the colors fade into one another.
Thank you for sharing your poem:)
LINDA REID says
Thank you, Katie and thank you for the spelling.
Katie says
You’re welcome, Linda! Funny, but when I pulled out our old Webster’s to find it that page actually had an image of a silhouette by the definition:)
Donna Falcone says
I love the feeling of connection that this poem brings to my mind (and heart). That feeling of so many viewpoints for one single, solitary sun. I’m so glad you shared your horizons poem! Thank you. 🙂