Epigram: a short, concise poem which considers a single concept with humorous wit, satire and often a paradoxical twist.
I’m not the sort to speak of my ability.
I take a lot of pride in my humility.
Contest Specific Rules:
Submit one or two epigrams; no pre-writes this time, please.
No reservations.
Although they are often epigrammatic in nature, please do not enter your Limericks, Tanka or Haiku/Senryu in this contest.
Each poem must be at least 2 lines in length but may not exceed 6 lines.
This contest is for all ages, so keep that in mind with your submissions. See CONTEST RULE NO. 1.
My General Rules:
Plain backgrounds – Imagine I am blind and can only hear your poem.
No dirty pretty
No images or Emoticons
No sticky caps
No text/chat room abbreviations
Do not apologize for the quality of the poem, your poetic ability or your age in your author’s notes. If you are ashamed of your work, do not submit it!
CONTEST RULE NO. 1:
No disrespecting individuals, ethnicity, age, gender, gender preference, political parties or movements, religion, spirituality or faith
Specific subjects and language to avoid:
Abuse
Addiction
Adult
Cruelty
Erotica - Sensual is allowed. If you do not know the difference, this is not a contest for you.
Graphic violence
Gratuitous profanity - If you do not know how to use strong language without swearing, this contest is also not for you.
Obscenity - I know what is obscene, and so do you. Do not be a twerp.
Suicide
Poems which feature any of the above will be removed from the contest.
Grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization errors are distracting, and they will affect my judgment of the contest entries. I will not post comments on the entries until the contest is closed for judging, but I may send you a message suggesting you review and edit your entries. Editing is allowed until the contest is closed for judging.
I award points to participants who help me judge. You must comment on at least four entries other than your own and send me a message with your personal top 4 choices. Points for qualifying judges will be no less than 25.
I’m not the sort to speak of my ability.
I take a lot of pride in my humility.
Contest Specific Rules:
Submit one or two epigrams; no pre-writes this time, please.
No reservations.
Although they are often epigrammatic in nature, please do not enter your Limericks, Tanka or Haiku/Senryu in this contest.
Each poem must be at least 2 lines in length but may not exceed 6 lines.
This contest is for all ages, so keep that in mind with your submissions. See CONTEST RULE NO. 1.
My General Rules:
Plain backgrounds – Imagine I am blind and can only hear your poem.
No dirty pretty
No images or Emoticons
No sticky caps
No text/chat room abbreviations
Do not apologize for the quality of the poem, your poetic ability or your age in your author’s notes. If you are ashamed of your work, do not submit it!
CONTEST RULE NO. 1:
No disrespecting individuals, ethnicity, age, gender, gender preference, political parties or movements, religion, spirituality or faith
Specific subjects and language to avoid:
Abuse
Addiction
Adult
Cruelty
Erotica - Sensual is allowed. If you do not know the difference, this is not a contest for you.
Graphic violence
Gratuitous profanity - If you do not know how to use strong language without swearing, this contest is also not for you.
Obscenity - I know what is obscene, and so do you. Do not be a twerp.
Suicide
Poems which feature any of the above will be removed from the contest.
Grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization errors are distracting, and they will affect my judgment of the contest entries. I will not post comments on the entries until the contest is closed for judging, but I may send you a message suggesting you review and edit your entries. Editing is allowed until the contest is closed for judging.
I award points to participants who help me judge. You must comment on at least four entries other than your own and send me a message with your personal top 4 choices. Points for qualifying judges will be no less than 25.
A special thank you to the Winklings. The points I share for this contest came from that group of marvelous poets!
Contest is Over
- Contest was judged on November 12, 2008
- Rewards: Gold: 750, Silver: 500, Bronze: 250
- Final notes: The contest is over and judged. Thank you all for your witty, compelling entries, and to those who helped judge.
I do not second guess my fellow judges except as a tie-breaker. In this case the winner placed on all lists and won on none, but came out ahead by a plurality of total votes.
I do not award green honorable mention trophies, but all finalists after the top three will receive an equal number of points in appreciation for their entries.
Two entries I feel deserve recognition not so much as epigrams as just exceptionally thought-provoking pieces. Very special thanks go to forethought http://allpoetry.com/forethought for "The Raven" http://allpoetry.com/poem/4762211 and to LeanneBridgewater http://allpoetry.com/LeanneBridgewater for “The Worlds Happening in Draft” http://allpoetry.com/poem/4760611. Neither of these placed in this contest, but I hope they will receive the recognition they deserve in others.
Contest Winners
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Ah, I love this winter weather;
The ground's covered in virgin white.by Wandering Woodchuck 3 lines, 19 comments, on Oct 30 8:54 AM 2008. In Epigram
Bronze trophy winner
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• Commented on by judge. [remove]
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The willow throws her net into the sky
To catch a school of swallows flying by.by patrick20traveler 6 lines, 6 comments, on Oct 28 3:36 AM 2008. In Nature• Commented on by judge. [remove] -
I arrived here hungover and tired
Smelly, pierced and tattooed, am I hired?by Wandering Woodchuck 1 lines, 11 comments, on Oct 30 8:21 AM 2008. In epigram• Commented on by judge. [remove]
Gold trophy winner
Silver trophy winner
Entries [13]
1 - 13 of 13
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Everytime You stop running; Everytime you dont help me
Everytime You choose to break down; Everytime you don't startby mjd-is-not-ashamed 4 lines, 8 comments, on Oct 28 6:59 AM 2008• Commented on by judge. -
Carpet is a host to the ground
Sound is an atmosphere in the surrounds soundby LeanneBridgewater 5 lines, 2 comments, on Nov 10 7:27 AM 2008. In epigram, Society, atmosphere, world, energy, flow, Other, Nature• Commented on by judge.
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Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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"Do not apologize for the quality of the poem, your poetic ability or your age in your author’s notes. If you are ashamed of your work, do not submit it!"
This is a GREAT rule and one that all the fake ids who need to post as alternate personalities should heed... OWN It or stone it. There, how's that for an epigram?
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Good catch and lob!
I believe folks are generally sincere with the modesty of such remarks, but they do a disservice to themselves. Such an author's note leads a potential reviewer to either withhold even constructive criticism for fear of wounding a tender ego or to look for issues to criticize. Sometimes I just go on to the next poem without bothering to give the poem more than a cursory skim.
I don't really interact with many folks here, but in some of the forums I see people taking issue with the fake and/or multiple id's. From a creative writing perspective I can see the point of using multiple pseudonyms to present multiple personas and characteristics of theme and style. However, it seems a little bit sleazy if the purpose is just to deflect critical responses to controversial opinions or artistic efforts.
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Does it have to be only 2 lines?
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At least 2. No more than 6.
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Thank You
I would like to thank you for the 150 points in your fun contest and also congratulate all the winners 
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