What to Submit?
Mother’s Day falls on Sunday 11/5/2025 (it was celebrated in March in the UK).
In celebration of Mother’s Day, submit a new poem (maximum 20 lines-- TWENTY!) highlighting the duality of Motherhood, moving beyond the familiar tropes of sentimentality and idolisation.
Oscillation
Whereas the poetic device of juxtaposition—which places contrasting images, situations, or thoughts side by side for the purpose of comparison—oscillation between opposites, like sincerity and irony, is woven throughout a poem, and is not restricted to specific formats or positions, as seen in diverse forms such as sonnets and haiku.
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Motherhood is a fine balancing act between sentiment and detachment—in varying proportions. Time and distance might have influenced the nostalgic views you held about motherhood. The contrasting elements of the duality oscillate, and are woven in throughout the poem.* These must serve the purpose of complementing the essence of the poem without overwhelming it, for example:
‘My feet burning from dancing all night, / in her lullaby sing-song voice / I was interrogated about my tardiness.’
Perspective: You may write from ANY perspective: That of the mother, or of the child, or that of an observer such a partner, her sibling, or even an outsider witnessing motherhood from a distance.
Title: Of your choice, but a maximum of 5 words.
Free verse: See the Definition of Free verse under Types of Poems here at PoetrySoup.
EXAMPLE POEM
Oenomel (poetrysoup.com)
PoetrySoup T & Cs apply—AI-generated poetry is expressly forbidden.
Presentation
DO NOT include quotes, please.
In single spaced lines. Capitalisation and punctuation are the prerogative of the poet.
Judging
As I have described in an earlier blog, Memento on the Moon - Suzette Richards's Blog (poetrysoup.com), let the light in between the lines (not heavy like Gra’ma’s fruitcake).
The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the results posted.
*Optional Reading
Metamodernism in Art and Poetry | PoetrySoup.com
Q & A, as well as Recommended Reading
Free Verse – How Free is It? - Suzette Richards's Blog (poetrysoup.com)
Prizes
First Prize, Glory
Second Prize, Glory
Third Prize, Glory
HM's if warrented
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.