Pursuit of a Poetry Prize

If your ultimate goal is a poetry prize, there are things you must do without compromise. I had entered some work at considerable cost, with no clue at all as to why I had lost. So, I read all the ones recognized in the past, seeking form and design for words I could cast. That’s when I discovered a key to their prose; illogical thoughts in unorganized rows. Start with an outlandish, irrelevant line, then something arbitrary to confuse the design. Like, “In the beginning the ending was near” or, “We basked in an ardent recollection of fear.” Conclude with some incomprehensible phrase, like, “The prolific embrace of our foregone days.” Don’t finish ideas in these literary events, and avoid any phrases that seem to make sense. What they don’t understand, becomes a “deep thought.” In depth they will ponder what meaning you sought. They'll scoff if you've written a limerick or rhyme, then cast it aside as a “waste of their time.” I'll likely be banned, or be forced to concede, but I'm sharing the secret it takes to succeed; don't stress over structure, don’t fret about flow, use thoughts you don’t have and words you don’t know. This was a fun piece I wrote after reading a $20,000 prize winning poem about brass braziers that made absolutely no sense.