16 Summer-Inspired Journaling & Poetry Prompts for June

here's to igniting creative thinking, evading writer's block and lazy summer days spent in self-reflection.

Source: Lorryn Smit Photography via Canva

Before I even had a grasp on what I was doing, I was journaling. I tucked them under my bed and every day after school and during pivotal moments during the weekends (and trust me, there were a lot) I would slide my journal from under my bed and write until I had nothing else to say. I think it started somewhere around the age of 11, but I can’t be too sure. Only the journals know when it started. I would date each page, each moment and end it with something like “I’ll talk to you next time diary… hopefully in a better position than what I am now.” You might think what types of positions could a tween get herself in? Short of the moon falling out of the sky, if a really cute boy looked my way and smiled, as far as I was concerned both of those events were equally catastrophic.

So, what happened to the journaling? Well… what always happens, we grow up. We put “childish” things down to pick up bad habits that separate us farther and farther from who we truly are, in some sort of chase of what seems acceptable or likable in the moment.

When I got to high school, my journaling turned into poetry. But journaling still has its necessities. It’s a free form of expression that heals like no other. The best part of journaling is coming back to said journals years later and smiling at the little girl you once were.

I don’t know about you, but some of my best writing is inspired by the summer. I don’t know what it is about her, but she’s magnetic. It’s almost as if everyone comes alive, sheds their skin in the hot, slick nights of summer and things get interesting. Longer days, hotter nights, and the way memories created under a June sky tend to stay with you forever, is something definitely worth writing down.

So alas, I have 16 summer-inspired journaling and poetry prompts that I hope to come in handy one of these sweltering June nights. I know it says “journaling” and “poetry,” but feel free to use these prompts in whatever ways they speak to you— free verse, list, short story, vignette. Nothing is off limits.

June Poetry Prompts:

Use these eight poetry prompts to capture fleeting moments under June’s moon, explore imagery and play around with rhythm— have fun.

• General Tips for Poetry Prompts:

  • Set a 10-minute timer and write without editing.

  • Don’t worry about rhymes—focus on sensory details and emotion.

  • Experiment with different forms: haiku, free verse, or a short prose poem.

1. One Night Only

   • Inspired by Sonder’s song “One Night Only.” Listen to it and start writing down whatever feelings it evokes. Write a poem about a single, ephemeral evening—could be a concert, a party, or a stranger you’ll never see again but often wonder about.

2. For This Moment

   • Think about a moment in time you wish you could stay frozen in forever. Go back to it and describe it.

3. Star Sprinkled Eyes

   • Describe someone whose eyes hold galaxies inside of them. They can be real or imaginary.

4. Dark Blue Waves at Midnight

   • Picture a beach at dusk, you’re with someone who makes you heart thump loudly, like the waves crashing back and forth against the shoreline. Set the scene.