Thought I’d try something different: The exercise is called "five easy pieces".
It is from a book called "The Practice of Poetry", edited by Robin Behn & Chase Twichell.
This is what I want from you - please read:
1. Remember a person you know well, or invent a person
2. Imagine a place where you find the person
Then write 5 sentences:
1. Describe the person's hands
2. Describe something s/he is doing with the hands
3. Use a metaphor to say something about some exotic place
4. Mention what you would want to ask this person in the context of sentence 2 and 3
5. The person looks up and answers in a way that suggests s/he only gets part of the question
Please also:
- left align; plain background
- creativity, imagery & feeling count
- sparse use of adjectives
- free verse only
- the poem can be slightly longer than 5 sentences
but MUST adhere to the above-mentioned guidelines
- please edit before you enter
Here are some examples
(these poems were the trophy winners
in a similar contest hosted by Cvillelisa in 2005):
http://allpoetry.com/poem/1163657 by windhover3
http://allpoetry.com/poem/1162655 by Virago
http://allpoetry.com/poem/1163751 by Nicolette
n.
Contest is Over
- Contest was judged on June 30
- Rewards: Gold: 1000, Silver: 700, Bronze: 400, Honorable mention: 5 people
- Final notes: I was really surprised with the quality of the entries in this contest. I so enjoyed reading each and every poem, and there was something in each entry that spoke to me, moved me, made me see and experience the different ways in which hands speak. Truly, this contest was hard to judge and I wish I could award more than the allowed number of trophies.
The winners are those that I thought made the contest prompt their own through originality, brevity and creativity, coupled with poetic impact and quality, execution of form (the exercise), plus that x-factor that just makes a poem linger in the eyes and the mind. Two of the HM’s are more lengthy but the poems were just too good to not be acknowledged.
Thank you once again for making this such a super contest and for rising to the challenge the way you did. Well done and congratulations to all of you.
n.
Contest Winners
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• Commented on by judge. [remove]
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by Night Hope 14 lines, 28 comments, on Jun 14 2:25 PM. In Contest, Hope, Life, Love, Nature, Spiritual, Inspiration, Dedication
Silver trophy winner
• Commented on by judge. [remove] - Error: Unable to find finalist item 5437609, it seems to have been deleted :( [remove]
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by MJ Donnelly 6 lines, 17 comments, on Jun 14 1:25 AM. In Personal, Thoughts, Life
Honorable mention
• Commented on by judge. [remove] -
• Commented on by judge. [remove]
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• Commented on by judge. [remove]
Gold trophy winner
Entries [23]
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His hands stub upwards - thick and melon skinned
clutching at an oval glassby Emmyb 11 lines, 8 comments, on Jun 13 2:56 PM. In Contemporary• Commented on by judge. -
by AngelBellerose 7 lines, 14 comments, on Jun 13 3:25 PM. In Noguest, Contest, Life, Fantasy, Abuse, My own style, Sensual• Commented on by judge.
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Geeze, those hands are beautiful,
and intelligent looking…• Commented on by judge. -
My dear Zahira, your hands are calloused so.
You can't even feel the thorns of the roses you are picking.by AshesFromFire 9 lines, 6 comments, on Jun 13 11:10 PM. In Personal• Commented on by judge. -
by perfectsunset 23 lines, 6 comments, on Jun 14 12:56 AM. In Abstract, Hand poetry, Thoughts, noguest• Commented on by judge.
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His fingers twitched
hangnails dancing, ballerinas of doubtby forever 35 8 lines, 2 comments, on Jun 14 7:08 AM• Commented on by judge. -
I remember your hands felt like shale at my bedside.
Blue veins supplicating innocence and bliss;by whitecoffee 15 lines, 4 comments, on Jun 14 9:49 AM• Commented on by judge. -
I notice a person next to me, speaking in silence, fingers, palms and fists gestures replacing the drone of everyday chatter echoing in my• Commented on by judge.
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Etched and elderly, laden with life
Placing plates back in the kitchen cupboardby Stuart Higginson 10 lines, 11 comments, on Jun 14 8:04 PM. In Contest• Commented on by judge. -
Pastry flour dusted with shrinking memory scars,
each precise twist and turn, pares to its' core;by hopergroper 5 lines, 3 comments, on Jun 16 1:59 AM• Commented on by judge. -
Weathered with time cracked with life
she raises her hands palms pressed, fingers beseeching the heavensby sunoir 4 lines, 4 comments, on Jun 16 1:08 PM• Commented on by judge. -
Crooked fingers slid open the rosewood compass
Solar angles at lattitude next to south Alcove• Commented on by judge.
Add a comment
Comments
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i like this a lot
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thanks - hope to see you back here
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excellent contest
x
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thanks Emma - come on in
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The Bite Of God
There're hands;
islands circling
each other
as centuries
fold time neatly
into clean-crisp sheets.
There're fingers,
gently touching
the outskirts
of each other's forests,
where nicotine jungles
woo the air.
There're nails,
cropped by teeth
and polished
to their skin,
always a step away
from the bite of God.
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very good time you enter one of my contests....!!
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would the phrase "getting a five knuckle sandwich" qualify?
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hmmm...if it's delivered with a soft touch, very poetically and mushy and adheres to all the above-mentioned guidelines
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This is a GREAT contest
idea, and I will be back
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you always come up with the most creative contests
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I am excited about this!
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P.S. You should do more of these just for me - I NEED DIRECTION!
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it's not poetic direction you're talking about..? that i don't believe
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Direction: head North 20 miles or so. Turn left. There ya are. You don't need any assistance in navigation, Mizz Allyce.
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20 MILES IS ABOUT RIGHT!! LOL
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Bookmarking!
Once again you've reignited my inspiration's often faltering flame
Your ideas are the bellows to my Muse
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Hey...Thanks for pushing me out of my norm! My poem is different then your three examples, a little less imagry a little more....haunting (maybe thats not the right word). Anyway, I love it and I think I''ll play around with similar styles and see what I get.
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Gosh. Intriguing.
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- hope it inspires you!
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What an excellent contest! 5 little lines proved a lot harder than I first thought, haha
Congrats to the winners! -
Woooooo hooo! I am honored
Thank you for hosting another wonderful contest lovely gogo & congratulations to my little petal Wanda and Chez
Some great entries in this contest
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Congrats to you, my lovely lil' flowery thingy. 
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Thanks Nicky and congrats to the other winners.
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Thank you for hosting & for the shiny silver chalice, Nic. Woot!!! 
Congrats to Mizz Allyce & the other entrants. Be well, Poets & Scribes.
"The Forest of Your Smile"
http://allpoetry.com/poem/5439187
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Thanks for the interesting and fun contest as well as for your comment.
I need to read some of these entries.
Marlene
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