What to Submit?
1 original, poem on any theme
The only acceptable form is Rhyme (Constanza) entered under RHYME
The Constanza form was invented by a fellow souper named Connie Marcum Wong. It is a very engaging, challenging and fun form to write. I will give you an example that I wrote 5 years ago and then follow it with requirements.
Dancing Clown
Who is this funny dancing clown
who entertains throughout the year
with painted frown and brush stroked tears?
His dizzy spins go round and round
'til orange hair and polka dots
look like a crazy spinning top.
Then plopping down upon the ground
as children laughed until they cried
at funny dizzy crisscrossed eyes.
There, where his frown was upside down,
the happy circus filled with smiles
as other clowns ran in the aisles.
Now laughing loud without a sound
and gaily dancing as he left,
belying inner tears he wept.
Who is this funny dancing clown?
His dizzy spins go round and round,
then plopping down upon the ground,
there, where his frown was upside down
now laughing loud without a sound.
NEW POEMS ONLY
Please put Constanza somewhere in your title (you can remove that later)
Write a 5 line poem in iambic tetrameter with monorhyme, keeping in mind that these will become the first lines of 5 tercets that will precede it. The tercets serve to enhance the meaning of each of those lines (see my example). The rhyme scheme will be Abb Acc Add Aee Aff
then the quintain which is monorhymed AAAAA (see example) Have fun
(I will accept close rhyme like the type I used in my example. Connie's original rules require exact rhyme)
Prizes
First Prize, Glory
Second Prize, Glory
Third Prize, Glory
Twelve Honorable Mentions
Preparing Your Entry
Submit one copy of your poem online. Format your poem. Please make your entry easy to read — no illustrations or fancy fonts.
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.