Happiness - Stephen Dunn

Happiness
Stephen Dunn

A state you must dare not enter
   with hopes of staying,
quicksand in the marshes, and all

the roads leading to a castle
   that doesn't exist.
But there it is, as promised,

with its perfect bridge above
   the crocodiles,
and its doors forever open.

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Here the author takes a more nebulous word, "happiness," and talks to us about it using images. He takes a single image – that of a fantasy castle – and compares it to happiness. In this he assumes that we already know the definition of the word and then gives us counsel about it through the metaphor.

While keeping this poem in mind, its techniques and its messages, here are some prompts that you may use to write a poem:

1. Take a non-concrete word (such as happiness) and compare it to a single image. Be consistent with the details you provide such that they are true to both the image and the chosen word. Use the metaphor to provide insight into the word - both its good connotations while being wary of potential pitfalls.
2. Take a line from this poem and use this in your poem (a title, a first line, or other). Write.
3. What else does this poem remind you of or inspire in you? Write.