So, I’m sure some form of this exists already and has been published in a book of writing exercises, articulated much better than what I’m about to describe. Nevertheless, I found myself doing this the other day after looking up a definition:
Flip through a dictionary (in book form!) and make a list of a few words (no less than three, no more than five) that you don’t know but like based purely on their sound or appearance. Don’t read their definitions until you’ve compiled your list. Build a poem (or short story even…) based around these words.
Post your results!