See my latest premiere contest where I am inviting poets to write a Notional Ekphrasis poem titled Memento on the Moon. See the contest page for full details.
How to Write a Notional Ekphrasis
- In your poem, imagine some form of art as if it were real and bring it to life by painting pictures with your words. Don’t explain—i.e. show, don’t tell.
- Use your imagination to show how this imagined artwork expresses your dreams, thoughts, or feelings. For example, my philosophical statement in the concluding couplet of my poem, Memento on the Moon.*
Art Defined
There are certain mediums that are definitively considered art—paintings, sculptures, drawings, and sketches. Then there are other creations that can also fall under the art category, such as films, plays, novels, interior design, music, and architecture.
Muzika, by Heris Gendvilaa
Let the Light In
‘Letting the light in between the lines’ is a poetic metaphor often used to describe the art of creating space for interpretation, emotion, and subtlety within a poem. It means allowing the reader to discover their own meanings, impressions, and connections in the gaps between explicit statements. Instead of spelling everything out, the poet might use suggestive language, imagery, or rhythm to evoke feelings and ideas indirectly.
This technique aligns closely with the idea of ‘show, don't tell’. By leaving some things unsaid, the poem gains resonance, inviting the reader to engage actively and fill in those spaces with their imagination. It's also tied to concepts like translucence and elegance in poetry, where what's unspoken can be as powerful as what's written.
LEFT UNSPOKEN
between the words, silence spills, refracts
while a shadow trace the void you left
roots-entwined earth – too sacred to disturb
as arum lilies recall your grace
© Suzette Richards 8/4/2025
Recommended Literary Devices
Literary/poetic devices like metaphor, symbolism, and imagery, are ideally suited for this challenge. (See the Dictionary here at PoetySoup if you are unfamiliar with the terminology used.)
Juxtaposing* elements enriches a poem, eg my poem † reflects an acute awareness of humanity’s duality—its capacity for creation and destruction.
The Inspiration behind this Contest
On 20 April 1972, Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke took his first steps on the Moon. He left behind a plastic encased photo of his family on the moon—see a copy of the original photo above. The back of the photo was thumb printed and signed by the family, and included the message: ‘This is the family of astronaut Charlie Duke from planet Earth who landed on the moon on April 20, 1972.’‡
Q & A
Please use this blog to pose questions relevant to the contest, and not on my poem(s). Thank you.
Happy Quills!
Su
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*Glossary of Some Common Poetic Devices | PoetrySoup.com
†Memento on the Moon (poetrysoup.com)
‡There's a Hidden Message Written on The Back of This Family Portrait Left on The Moon : ScienceAlert