Writing > Writing Prompts

Elegy

An elegy is typically a poem that deals with loss, and specifically references the poet's thoughts and feelings on the subject. While elegies are usually somber and can be about death, they do not have to be -- other serious, meditative topics can be covered as well. From the definition on Wikipedia: "For all of its pervasiveness, however, the ‘elegy’ remains remarkably ill-defined: sometimes used as a catch-all to denominate texts of a somber or pessimistic tone, sometimes as a marker for textual monumentalizing, and sometimes strictly as a sign of a lament for the dead."

Try writing an elegy about someone or something that you have lost, whether by death, distance, or drifting of some sort. Write about how the loss affects you, but you do not have to be explicit about the object of your elegy unless you want to.

Like us on Facebook to get updates about new resources