What to Submit?
The Andaree is an invented form of mine, and this is my third time to use it for a contest. The description for it is below, where you will find an example of the form with my own Andaree.
RULES:
1. Follow the rules of the form!! Imagery in your Andaree is a plus!
2. Quotes may be used at the top, but they do not impact your placement.
3. Use of good structure with no spelling or punctuation mistakes is another plus.
4. Do not re-enter your old Andaree if you did one before!
5. In the title heading, put Andaree next to your title so I won't click on it by mistake.
6. If you must use a syllable counter, use the one I give you a link for. If I question your count, I will check it only against THIS counter and NO OTHER: http://www.howmanysyllables.com/
7. You must use exact rhyme, not near rhyme. If I question it, I’ll check wlith RhymeZone.
8/ PLEASE read the description below VERY carefully. If the above rules and the Andaree rules are not followed, the poem will be N/A’d.
The Andaree Description:
This form has a rhyming scheme AaBbCbcbbaA. The first line and the last line are both the same 11- syllable line. This form decreases in line length, with each line getting progressively smaller by 2 syllables until reaching the one-syllable word in the middle of the poem. After you reach the middle, then each of the lines increase progressively by 2 syllables, until the final line of eleven syllables is met: (11/9/7/5/3/1/3/5/7/9/11). The middle word should be a word very important to the theme. It appears somewhere in the title or can be the title itself and that middle word also rhymes with lines 3, 4, 8 and 9. Finally, there is no specific meter, but any type of meter is preferred over none at all. Centering the poem is also recommended for an hourglass effect! (I am not able to get my example centered.)
Example of the Andaree Form
Life – Like Wine
Hold it; let it breathe; it grows better with time.
Ignoring its colors is a crime!
Sniff and swirl it for a sign.
Inhale. Sip. Divine!
Slurp! Savor
wine.
The flavor
that comes from YOUR vine
is more enhanced when you dine -
finding balance. Life can be sublime!
Hold it; let it breathe; it grows better with time.
Copyright 2015 By Andrea Dietrich
English Language
Poems should be in English. Poems translated from other languages are not eligible, unless you wrote both the original poem and the translation.
A Note to Poetry Contestants
You are welcome to enter this contest, whether or not you won a prize in one of my previous contests.