This blog is for questions.* (see note below in green)
If you do not like this contest and have come to this blog only to throw rocks and COMPLAIN, off you go. Toodles. Bub-bye. There are other Soup contests which may suit you better.
If you are uncertain about this contest and would like something clarified, you are welcome (and encouraged) to fire questions at me and I will do my best to answer them.
Arguement, poo-pooing and harassement disguised as a question is unwelcome and may result in me sounding this buzzer: NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNuh. WRONG ANSWER IN THE FORM OF A QUESTION. Sincerity:7. Sarcasm:0.
*Also welcome, all seasonal greetings, recipes, family news, trivia, ponderings, weather reports, bemoaning, rambles and travel postcards. As long as they are not camouflaged poison darts aimed at either me or my contest or any other Souper, you are free to frolick to your heart's content. Blow kisses, add a haiku. All those things are good. xoxoxox
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This is a free verse contest --~~~ with a twist.
*****each poet that enters this contest agrees that I may use their poem in a winners’ blog. By entering this contest you give me permission to use your poem on one Soup blog for a non-critical review and for congratulatory purposes.*****
Second, each contestant must PROVE that what they have written is —in fact—a poem. This contest is for those who wish to really LOOK at their own poetry.
Third, the poem you enter must be new and written for this contest.
CONTEST EXPECTATIONS:
1) write a free verse poem. Subject or theme is open (but keep within the Poetry Soups rules of conduct)
2) The following five things are required for placement:
i) A complete absence of clichés, idioms or common sayings of any kind.
ii) a unique theme or subject. (Please, no poems about love lost, great lovers, rainbows or gardens.)
iii) A focus on figurative language (heightened metaphor, language that tantalizes) If unsure of what I mean here are three excellent examples of figurative language
http://www.cortlandreview.com/issue/69/king.php
http://www.pifmagazine.com/2015/02/the-tides/
http://www.contemporaryverse2.ca/en/poetry/excerpt/winter-archive
iv) At least ONE original word pairing (two words that play off each other in a fresh and unique way) here is an excellent resource for all poets. If you do not know what an original word pairing is please watch this YouTube video. (this is a great video but you can go to 5:10 if you specifically want to learn about original word pairings)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoKSp_TrWYs
v) Connotation – show me that voodoo that you do. Some of those words should ring out with their double meaning, their playfulness or their ability to give us that “aha” moment.
3) Five or more literary devices. Should you wish more information, simply Google “literary device” and you will find some good links. These can be incorporated through revision. Now, please, do not smugly send me a poem with an overkill of devices, you know, just to badger me. Harassment and ridicule is just wasting BOTH of our time. (insert your snicker here)
Okay, here is the list
Alliteration
Allusion
Ambiguity
Assonance
Asyndeton
Cacophony
Cadence
Caesura
Consonance
Contrast
Double Entendre
Euphony
Hyperbole
Imagery
Internal rhyme
Irony
Juxtaposition
Meiosis
Mood
Onomatopoeia
Paradox
Parallelism
Repetition
Synesthesia
4) You MUST include a notation at the end of the poem. You MUST let me know which five literary devices (or more) which you’ve chosen. No notation, no placement.
CONTEST WINS:
One First, One Second and One Third place, only.
A winners’ blog (Review) to showcase the brilliance of the winning poems.
I would like to write a review of the first place poem—with the winner’s permission—and submit it as an article exclusively to Poetry Soup. Your poem could be used as a teaching tool for poets who would like to further develop their Vers Libre. The review will be sent to the first place winner for approval prior to it being submitted to Poetry Soup.
I know this is not an easy contest. I know some of you are thinking, I can’t and I couldn’t.
BAH! You can do this!
PS - Please check my future blogs for updates and reminders.