One of my favorite tricks for coming up with new poem ideas is to take two simple, unrelated things and combine them into something unexpected. When I’m stuck and don’t know what to write about, I’ll sometimes just look around the room or flip through a book until I find two things that catch my attention. Then I ask myself, “What kind of poem could I write that connects these two things?”
For example, if I spot a puppy and then a piano, I might end up writing a poem called “My Puppy Plays Piano.” That’s exactly how Goldfish Moving Day began. I was flipping through a book when I saw a picture of a goldfish on one page… and later, a moving van on another. I asked myself, “What would it be like if a goldfish had to move?” And from that odd little question, this poem was born.
I hope it sparks your imagination too. And maybe the next time you’re feeling stuck, you’ll try combining two random ideas of your own!
Goldfish Moving Day
My goldfish had a tiny bowl.
He needed one much bigger
to be a truly happy soul
and swim with vim and vigor.
I visited the pet shop where
I bought a new aquarium.
I thought I’d pour his bowl in there.
He asked if I could carry him.
I said, “Hey, wait! So you can speak?
I made that birthday wish!
I blew the candles out last week
to get a talking fish!”
He said, “That’s right. Yes, I can speak.
It’s you I have to thank
for wishing I could talk last week.
Now take me to my tank!”
I did exactly as he said
and picked him up to carry him.
He gasped for air and soon was dead,
and now I have to bury him.
So, on your birthday I suggest
that when you make your wishes,
it’s obviously not the best
to ask for talking fishes.
— Kenn Nesbitt
