What is the difference between prose poetry and flash fiction?

Flash fiction tells a very short story. A prose poem may have no story at all and leans on image, sound and the density of its language.

Who invented the prose poem?

It grew up in 19th-century France. Aloysius Bertrand's "Gaspard de la Nuit" (1842) is usually credited with founding it, and Charles Baudelaire made the form famous.

Poetic Form

Prose Poetry

Poetry written in continuous prose rather than verse lines.

1 min read

Write a Prose Poem Read Prose Poems

Line BreaksNoneRuns like prose

ShapeParagraphsOften one block

MeterNone fixedRhythm without lines

Poetic ToolsImage and soundCarry the poetry

About Prose Poetry

A prose poem is a composition that uses the tools of poetry (image, sound, rhythm, compression, leaps of thought) but is set on the page as prose, without line breaks. The form sits at the seam between two ancient traditions and exploits the tension between them.

Structure

Continuous prose, usually in a single block or short paragraphs. No line breaks; no metrical regularity. The poetic dimension is carried by figurative language, sonic texture, syntactic invention, and the overall density and movement of the language.

A prose poem has no lines, meter or rhyme to draw. It is set as prose, and its poetry lives in image, sound, rhythm and compression.

A Short History

1842Aloysius Bertrand's Gaspard de la Nuit is published.
1869Baudelaire's Le Spleen de Paris appears.
1886Rimbaud's Illuminations is published.
1914Gertrude Stein publishes Tender Buttons.
TodayClaudia Rankine's Citizen (2014) wins wide readership.

Famous Prose Poems

01"Be Drunk"Charles Baudelaire
02"Illuminations" (a collection)Arthur Rimbaud
03"A Carafe, That Is a Blind Glass"Gertrude Stein
04"Citizen" (a book-length sequence)Claudia Rankine

Questions About Prose Poetry

The things people ask most, answered in a sentence or two.

A prose poem is a poem written in sentences and paragraphs, without line breaks. It still uses poetry's tools: vivid images, sound and compression.

Prose Poems on GS Poetry

Written by poets here, this week and every week.