Own it. Definition: To accept whatever it is that makes you, YOU. To accept all of it.
Everybody has something that they wish they didn’t: weaknesses, flaws, shadows, baggage, body issues, regrets, a troubled past...
For this contest, I want you to reveal something about yourself that you are less than proud of and then EMBRACE IT. Be real, be honest. Make us feel you! This is about self-acceptance. This is about saying, I’M DITCHING MY SHAME (and silencing the shaming of others) AND STANDING TALL. Life has enough damned bullies. If you’ve been bullying yourself, this is your chance to hug that inner-bully and tell him/her that you ARE good, wonderful, beautiful, smart and talented ENOUGH and that YOU LOVE YOU!
Hey, even if you choose to use this as a prompt and keep that poem to yourself, give it a go.
By entering this contest, you are giving me permission to review your work (positive aspects only) on a blog where I will highlight the art I saw in your poetry.
I will only have three placements, so I’d suggest you make each word count.
The winning poems will have:
1) Figurative language
2) connotation
3) freedom from cliché
4) very few filler words (the, a, an, and, is, are, am, but, yet)
5) More carefully selected nouns and verbs
6) an understanding of the role of gerunds and participles (ing endings, when to use, when to avoid. )
7) Intentional language – language can be layman or scholarly, but the words selected should be there for a reason. Do the words resound both in the ear and heart? What is the poem saying?
8) Ambiguity. The ambiguity can be barely detectable or brickhouse thick.
9) little or absolutely no outdated language... of course, there are exceptions to this. Tone and mood. What do you want to echo in the reader?
10) little end rhyme. If most of the last words on your lines rhyme? It’s not free verse. Think “sprinkle” not truckload.
Advice
Revise and edit.
Let your imagery stun the readers.
Hint: I love unusual word pairings, purposeful line breaks, wordplay.
Poetry is a lens. You are showing the entire world something that they see every day of their lives, but you are showing it in a way that they have never seen before.
So SHOW ME. And dare to be proud of yourself. Cause guess what? YOU are awesome!
xoxox
Cyndi