Dream awake

a cat in a cat house inside another house

Start by thinking of a place that you grew up in and jotting down some details that you remember about it: what sounds do you recall (the clattering of dishes, your dogs' claws clicking on the linoleum, the voice of a game show host on the television, your teenage brother blasting his music on the stereo), smells (microwave popcorn, your grandmother's cigarette smoke, your father's Old Spice cologne), textures (woodgrain panelling, your flannel bedsheets), sights (the view from your bedroom, your favourite poster, what would you see when you walked in the door), tastes (raspberry jello, mashed potatoes, chicken noodle soup).

Now you are ready to write your prose poem. Knock on the door. See what happens. Accept everything that comes to you, the stranger the better. You can include some of the details you've remembered about this place, or none of them at all. Use the present tense second person "you" to invite the reader along on your journey with you.

Start here: