What to Submit?
1 original, NEW poem on the theme of .............
Any topic is acceptable, but not Christian Trinity, please.
Tanka Triptych
A Tanka Triptych is a set of three Tanka poems. Each poem provides a different image or viewpoint on the same topic. They can create three views with a 'kire-cut', pivot, turn or shift, like 3 leaves on a branch. Or, they might simply present three images, or viewpoints like 3 lily pads on a pond (sorry Basho!).
Please adhere to the strict traditional Japanese Tanka form, with 5 lines of 5-7-5-7-7 syllable counts, all lower case, and no punctuation. A Tanka often features a 'kire-cut'—a shift in thought, image, or emotion—between the first three lines and the last two. The final line(s) should re-frame, twist or deepen the viewpoint.
In a Triptych, each Tanka acts like an individual image, but together they:
Explore different facets of the same theme:
Tanka 1 — Introduces the theme, scene, or emotional ground, as scene 1.
Tanka 2 — Develops or deepens it, sometimes offering a counterpoint as scene 2.
Tanka 3 — Concludes, integrates, or confounds in a fresh 'kire', pivot, or other unexpected way as scene 3.
Poets who enjoy writing Haiku, Senryu, or Tanka may find this form appealing. I hope it will be included in the Soup soon!
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Prizes (1-10)
First Prize, Glory
Second Prize, Glory
Third Prize, Glory
4-10 other places
Preparing Your Entry
Submit one copy of your poem online. Format your poem. Please make your entry easy to read — no fancy fonts. Add voice or an image if you like, though I won't be aware of these when judging, purely from my personal opinion.
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.