What to Submit?
Important update: The definition of GROOK has been updated at Poem Types.
MY NOTE: While many grooks are aphoristic in nature—short, witty, and moralising—not all of them fit neatly into the aphorism category. Some lean more toward playful riddles, paradoxes, or gnomic verse, and their essence lies in brevity and layered meaning rather than strictly being aphorisms.
The contest will be judged per the criteria set out below in the definition.
[Edit: 5 April 2026]
It is like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall/tree.
Write a single quatrain that embodies the distilled truth behind this idiom. Do not explain or paraphrase the idiom directly. Instead, envisage a situation where its wisdom applies—capturing futility, slipperiness, or impossibility—and culminate in an aphoristic statement, NOT clichés.
A maximum pithy 5-word title.
Rhyme scheme: AABB or ABAB.
FOR EXAMPLE:
Futile Goal | Poem (poetrysoup.com)
A grook is a short, witty, aphoristic poem in rhyme, created by Piet Hein in the 1940s, characterised by irony, paradox, brevity, precise language, and rhythmic structure. It distils a truth into a playful, memorable form—often with a satirical edge.
[NB: Please disregard the PoetrySoup definition of grook, as it contains ambiguities and omissions. Also, the cited example poems are not representative of Hein’s grooks. I have reported these shortcomings to TPS—awaiting update in line with the facts & an example poem (by Piet Hein) I supplied. - See edit at top of page.]
These shortcomings in the Definition of GROOK under Types of Poems were the inspiration behind my meta-poetic grook:
Definitions of Forms | Poem (poetrysoup.com)
Also see the notes at this poem.
Q & A
You may head over to my blog for a succinct summary of GROOK, and pose questions relevant to the contest on there.
Grook - by Piet Hein - Suzette Richards Blog (poetrysoup.com)
A NUDGE TO CONTESTANTS
Grooks - A Nudge a Day Keeps Disappointment at Bay - Suzette Richards Blog (poetrysoup.com)
NEW FEATURE
This contest prompt is pitched at a high school to early college level—roughly grades 10–12 and up.
Judging
Feedback will be given on the top three winning poems at the poems. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the results posted.
NB The contest design details are not mere suggestions. Please treat them with due attention.
Prizes
1st place: A virtual trophy at the winning poem.
2nd–3rd place: Glory
7 possible Honourable Mentions: 4 – 10 in no particular order!