CLEANSING

Much peace. Today’s poetry prompt is:

The Latin phrase ars poetica means “the art of poetry.” It’s been a tradition going all the way back to Horace for poets to write poems that lay out – whether explicitly or obliquely – some statement about why the poet writes, or what they think poetry is. Here’s a very recent example, another that I had to study in school, and a very long, witty ars poetica by Alexander Pope. Today, we challenge you to write your own ars poetica, giving the reader some insight into what keeps you writing poetry, or what you think poetry should do.

Here is my poem:

CLEANSING

By Farah Lawal Harris, 2026

A messy mind, hoarded with

thoughts, memories, and emotions

in three corners triangulate about

the pen and paper in the other.

“Let’s get clean,”

they whisper to each other,

then rhythmically scatter

across lit-up tiles, singing,

“Billie Jean is not my lover.”

The pen moonwalks,

the room resets.

Suddenly, I am clean.