“....Long ago you kissed the names of the nine Muses good-bye,
and you watched the quadratic equation pack its bag,
and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,
something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,
the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay....
.....No wonder you rise in the middle of the night
to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.
No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted
out of a love poem that you used to know by heart."
From “Forgetfulness” by Billy Collins.
Above I've posted bits and pieces of work by Billy Collins. This poem "Forgetfulness" is talking about man's biggest vulnerability which incidentally happens to be his brain. As the years go by ones' memories slip and so do we.
Clever. Outside of the box thinking. Eh?
In this contest, I do not want poetry that does not have meaning. You may think all poetry has meaning... but the truth is, some poetry only has meaning to the poet.. who wrote it. (Yes, I am poet bashing). Many of you ramble on oh, maybe 45 lines of pure emotions. And that's it.
1) I'm seeking poems that have maybe a central idea, LOTS of metaphors and analogies, and / or a strong meaning or moral behind it. In other words, I want to be able to feel it all happening.
2) Consider writing from anothers' point of view, whether it ends up being an animal, or a pot hole... BE CREATIVE, but you don't have to use this advice.
3) Grammar and spelling DOES count. As in, if you have a spell checker, use it. If you're typing LiKe ThIs DON'T, be sure to read your work for stupid little errors. That's all.
4) If you're wondering about foul language, yes, you can use it.
5) I especially admire sarcasm, cruel / stupid humor.
You can earn brownie points by basing or relating your work with:
Genocide
French Horn (or any instrument)
Migraines
Chemical Warfare
Puberty
Seasonal Depression (this one, believe it or not, is the hardest one to pick with me.)
Abortion (for or against, I will not judge upon the point of view you decide.)
Again, above are just tips on ideas. You do NOT have pick one of those.
Open your mind.
Questions? Message me for any misunderstandings or further detail.
and you watched the quadratic equation pack its bag,
and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,
something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,
the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay....
.....No wonder you rise in the middle of the night
to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.
No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted
out of a love poem that you used to know by heart."
From “Forgetfulness” by Billy Collins.
Above I've posted bits and pieces of work by Billy Collins. This poem "Forgetfulness" is talking about man's biggest vulnerability which incidentally happens to be his brain. As the years go by ones' memories slip and so do we.
Clever. Outside of the box thinking. Eh?
In this contest, I do not want poetry that does not have meaning. You may think all poetry has meaning... but the truth is, some poetry only has meaning to the poet.. who wrote it. (Yes, I am poet bashing). Many of you ramble on oh, maybe 45 lines of pure emotions. And that's it.
1) I'm seeking poems that have maybe a central idea, LOTS of metaphors and analogies, and / or a strong meaning or moral behind it. In other words, I want to be able to feel it all happening.
2) Consider writing from anothers' point of view, whether it ends up being an animal, or a pot hole... BE CREATIVE, but you don't have to use this advice.
3) Grammar and spelling DOES count. As in, if you have a spell checker, use it. If you're typing LiKe ThIs DON'T, be sure to read your work for stupid little errors. That's all.
4) If you're wondering about foul language, yes, you can use it.
5) I especially admire sarcasm, cruel / stupid humor.
You can earn brownie points by basing or relating your work with:
Genocide
French Horn (or any instrument)
Migraines
Chemical Warfare
Puberty
Seasonal Depression (this one, believe it or not, is the hardest one to pick with me.)
Abortion (for or against, I will not judge upon the point of view you decide.)
Again, above are just tips on ideas. You do NOT have pick one of those.
Open your mind.
Questions? Message me for any misunderstandings or further detail.
Contest is Over
- Contest was judged on November 12
- Rewards: Gold: 500, Silver: 200, Bronze: 150, Honorable mention: 4 people
- Final notes: I'll have days where I browse the internet hours for poetry that makes me go ah. Lines and stanzas that cause me to lose that extra hour of sleep.
Well if I would have known it was so easy, I would have hosted a contest a long time ago. I found exactly what I was looking for, and then some!
Congratulations to the winners, and thank you (more than you know) to everyone who entered.
-Ryan
Contest Winners
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Blowing in the wind,
A sea of purple• Commented on by judge. [remove] -
by Sickopath333 20 lines, 10 comments, on Oct 11 10:42 AM. In Aggravation, Anger, Life, Other, Society, Adult
Silver trophy winner
• Commented on by judge. Prewrite [remove] - Error: Unable to find finalist item 5826807, it seems to have been deleted :( [remove]
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When I was told "God is omnipotent"
I looked the word up to see what it meant.• Commented on by judge. Prewrite [remove] -
• Commented on by judge. Prewrite [remove]
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We took the silver bus
to the great juniper tower• Commented on by judge. Prewrite [remove]
Gold trophy winner
Honorable mention
Entries [23]
1 - 23 of 23
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• Commented on by judge. Prewrite
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by myriad-dark 10 lines, 10 comments, on Aug 24 2:43 AM 2008. In Contemporary, Life, Society, Spiritual, Thoughts• Commented on by judge. Prewrite
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• Commented on by judge. Prewrite
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A circle of light
blanketed her withby Lionheart 33 lines, 16 comments, on Dec 11 6:10 PM 2007. In My own style• Commented on by judge. Prewrite -
Was it a chicken that first came,
Or was it an egg as some would claim?• Commented on by judge. Prewrite -
on my way to work this morning
I stopped at chapters bookstore.• Commented on by judge. Prewrite -
earth is enfolding
like petals of growing roses• Commented on by judge. Prewrite -
by Nakatrea 184 lines, 8 comments, on Nov 4 9:29 PM• Commented on by judge.
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• Commented on by judge. Prewrite
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basically the exterior shell is "you" and the sections or boxes are the "areas" of your life• Commented on by judge. Prewrite
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Oh mighty spirit of the sky,
please hear my call tonight.by Sunshine Always 33 lines, 17 comments, on Feb 22 1:40 PM• Commented on by judge. Prewrite
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Comments
1 - 7 of 7
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Bookmarked. I hope there's still space for something new from me when my muse next vomits.
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what kind of comments are "ahhh" and "ah ha" ?
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Ah.
The best you're gonna get, kid. -
Here's the thing, while commenting on certain entries, the comments wouldn't work, and I got this whole 501 error counted crap. So when I tried again and tested ah, or, ah ha, it worked. Vs, the 300 letter comment I may have left in the first place.
Understand? If you tell me which piece is yours, I'll try to further comment on it again.
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no need to comment again, I was just wondering.
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Well really, since you pointed it out so bluntly, I'd like you to direct me to the poem(s) you've entered so I can further comment them. Since you seem a bit offended.
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don't worry about it anymore : )
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Adding your comment:
1 - 7 of 7
