A Poetry Contest of Contradictions, Metaphors & Unexpected Truths
Can you write a poem about something that cannot exist—
and make us believe it does?
Every poet is given an impossible contradiction.
A silence that sings.
A fire that freezes.
A shadow that remembers.
A door that refuses to open—or close.
A goodbye that becomes a beginning.
A storm that teaches peace.
Your task is to transform the impossible into something emotionally true.
THE CHALLENGE
Write one original poem that explores one central contradiction.
The poem must begin with something impossible, paradoxical, or seemingly incompatible—and gradually reveal why that impossibility might actually contain a deeper truth.
Your poem should leave the reader thinking:
"That should not make sense...
yet somehow, it does."
CONTEST RULES
1. The poem must be original.
It must be written specifically for this contest and must not have been previously published or submitted elsewhere.
2. Choose one contradiction.
Your poem must revolve around a central paradox.
Examples:
- The loneliness of being surrounded
- The weight of something invisible
- A memory that has not happened yet
- A person who is present only in absence
- A wound that becomes a window
- A prison that sets you free
3. Length:
Minimum 10 lines
Maximum 30 lines
4. Form:
Any poetic form is welcome—
free verse, rhyme, sonnet, haiku sequence, contrapuntal poem, prose poetry, villanelle, or an invented form.
5. One Concrete Anchor.
Every poem must contain at least one vivid physical object that carries the central metaphor.
For example:
a cracked teacup
an abandoned key
a white rose
a railway ticket
a child's shoe
an empty chair
The poem may be philosophical, but it must remain grounded in something the reader can see, touch, hear, smell, or taste.
6. The Turning Point.
Somewhere in the poem, the meaning must shift.
The reader should discover that the contradiction is not merely clever—it reveals something about being human.
7. The Final Line.
The final line must either:
- reinterpret the opening,
- transform the central metaphor,
- or leave the reader with a revelation.
******
Sometimes the reader will discover:
The poem they thought was about grief
was actually about forgiveness.
The poem they thought was about love
was actually about identity.
The poem they thought was about death
was actually about beginning again.