The Invisible String: Metaphors in Poetry

“The Invisible String”

There’s a theory that we are all connected by invisible strings—threads of fate, love, memory, and time that weave us together, even when we can’t see them. The idea comes from folklore, from whispers of destiny, from the unshakable feeling that some connections exist beyond logic. Maybe you’ve felt it before—a sudden thought of someone just before they call, a chance encounter that changes everything, or the lingering presence of a loved one long after they’re gone.

This week, your challenge is to bring these unseen connections to life through metaphor. (Hint, check your newsletter for a deep dive into how we use metaphors and their significance in poetry! If you missed it, sign up here to get on the list!)

Write a poem where the invisible string becomes real. What does it look like? What does it feel like when it pulls, tightens, or frays? Is it woven between souls, stitched through time, tangled in memory? Maybe it’s golden and glimmering, maybe it’s delicate as spider silk, maybe it’s a rope worn and knotted by distance.

Some ideas to get you started:

• Describe the invisible string between two people—lovers, friends, strangers, family. How does it stretch, tangle, or pull them back together?
• What happens when a string snaps? Is it truly gone, or does something remain?
• Imagine these connections as something physical—red thread, silver wire, glowing roots beneath the earth. How does it change the way we see relationships?
• Explore a moment in your life when you felt inexplicably drawn to someone or something. Was it coincidence, or something more?

Let your words trace the unseen. Let the connections take shape.