What to Submit?
Employing any poetic form (excluding prose or related forms), write one new poem on the topic of ‘pie-in-the-sky’, incorporating internal rhyme. From personal experience, you would know that something is unlikely to happen, but it does not stop you from hoping for a different outcome in a present situation.
Do not use the poetic devices, eg alliteration, personification, etc, in place of poetic forms.
Definition
pie-in-the-sky (an idiom): something that you hope will happen but is very unlikely to happen.
Title: Of your choice (maximum 5 words).
Length: Anything from 1 to 6 lines (6 lines maximum), whatever the poetic form of your choice calls for.
Special Instructions
NB The words used for the internal rhyme, rhyme on their stressed syllables, eg sparse/affairs; poodle/noodle; debate/rate. These examples are from my satirical verse, Pie-in-the-sky:
Pie-in-the-sky (poetrysoup.com)
Although rhymes are frowned upon in Free verse, it is not unusual to come across internal rhymes in this poetic form. Many Limericks show some form of internal rhyme. Although the tanka does not rhyme, internal rhyme is acceptable. Classic haiku does not allow rhyme, but internal rhyme may be used to great effect in monoku (an offshoot of haiku). These are only samples of possible poetic forms you might use to incorporate internal rhymes. There are various internal rhymes to choose from.
USE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING 4 EXAMPLES OF INTERNAL RHYME IN YOUR POEM—a minimum of one example per poem (you may use more if you are writing a longer poem, eg a 6-line poem):
- Same Line: Rhyme in the same line comes when the words rhyme in a single line—middle and end.
- Same Line: Rhyming two adjacent words in the same line.
- Separate Lines (interlaced rhyme): Rhyme in separate lines comes when two or more words rhyme in the middle of the separate lines.
- End of, and Middle of Line (cross rhyme): Rhyme of the words at the end of lines and words in the middle of the following lines.
‘Middle’ is approximate, except in the case of Alexandrine where it falls on the 6th syllable in the line.
Presentation
OPTIONAL: The internal rhyme words used may be in boldface—don’t bold any of the other rhymes, please. Example (the words rhyme on their respective stressed syllables—I have highlighted these for ease of reference— reject/reflect.
Proclaiming his good fortune to subjects,
he not once considered them to reject.
Mountains reflect in pellucid waters
where the woman, cradling Balih, saunters.
The capitalisation of the first words in a line, and punctuation are the prerogative of the poet.
Indentation of certain lines is the prerogative of the poet, as is the centring of the poem on the page.
Only use single line space between the lines, and not all in caps, ie make it easy to read.
Q & A
Pie-in-the-sky - NEW CONTEST - Suzette Richards's Blog (poetrysoup.com)
Judging Criteria
CONTENT and FLOW are important factors, and the above requirements must be met in full. I am looking for originality and imaginative compositions. Correct grammar and spelling (American or British) are desired. Although slant rhyme/near rhyme might work for internal rhymes, perfect (strong) rhyme is more effective.
Feedback
Feedback will be given on the top three winners directly on the poems. NO correspondence will be entered into regarding the contest results posted.
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.