How to build a rainbow

A daunting task one would think

Is how to create magic

To build a bit of hope in another

To build a rainbow that reaches

Across the miles.

I looked in manuals and old text books

And there were gizmos and gadgets

Prisms and more

But not precisely what I was searching for.

So I sat right down and thought real hard,

What is it about rainbows that are special after all?

A recipe I made, and when I was done,

A piece of it I made for everyone.

To make a rainbow just add this:

A heaping bushel of friends,

A cup or ten of wishes

A pinch of soul

And ten shakes of beauty to make it hold,

A world of humans and animals too

And don’t forget some love that acts like glue.

Mix it all together and smear it on the sky

Then watch our feathered friends appear

To spread it far and wide.

Let it sit through warming sunshine

And some rain or teardrops too,

Then close your eyes and blow real hard

For it to shine clear through,

And hold each soul in your deepest thoughts

Wishing it to find that friend,

And they will feel the magic

From here to every land.

So if you look high above or somewhere deep within

Believing in the magic with a heart that can’t help but to care,

If you see the colors peeking out

You know that I’ve been there.

And now for our prompt (optional, as always)! Many years ago, “didactic” poetry was very common – in other words, poetry that explicitly sought to instruct the reader in some kind of skill or knowledge, whether moral, philosophical, or practical. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write the latter kind of “how to” poem – a didactic poem that focuses on a practical skill. Hopefully, you’ll be able to weave the concrete details of the action into a compelling verse. Also, your “practical” skill could be somewhat mythological, imaginary, or funny, like “How to Capture a Mermaid” or “How to Get Your Teenager to Take Out the Garbage When He Is Supposed To.”