The Poetry Stash: 29May2024

The Invention of Heaven by Dean Young

Today’s poem is “The Invention of Heaven” by Dean Young from Now & Then, The Poet’s Choice Columns 1997 - 2000 by Robert Hass. The book is available for purchase here.

The Invention of Heaven by Dean Young

The mind becomes a field of snow
but then the snow melts and dandelions
blink on and you can walk through them,
your trousers plastered with dew.
They’re all waiting for you but first
here’s a booth where you can win

a peacock feather for bursting a balloon,
a man in huge stripes shouting about
a boy who is half swan, the biggest
pig in the world. Then you will pass
tractors pulling other tractors,
trees snagged with bright wrappers

and then you will come to a river
and then you will wash your face.

Prompts:

1.	Begin with “The mind becomes a field…”
2.	Begin with “a peacock feather…”
3.	Draft a poem that describes an invention.
4.	What does “heaven” mean to you?

5. Photo by Zachary DeBottis via pexels.com. Use the image as a writing prompt.

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