Thread: Themes for POTM

I know you're all eager to get started on September's POTM, so here's your theme (courtesy of chiefblackhammer):

Journey's End

In order for your poem to qualify, it must have this title and be a reflection on the end of a journey. In other words, don't submit a poem that has this title but doesn't fit with the idea. Everything else about the poem is up to you, so be creative and have fun with it!

As for August's POTM, the judges are currently going through and discussing the entries, so we'll have an announcement of the winner later this week.

October 2007 POTM

In honor of Halloween, the October POTM theme will be....

Horror

Ghosts and ghouls, witches and demons...any frightening thing you can dream up. The only requirement this time is that your poem must be about something generally associated with horror and fear, whether you make it truly terrifying, or just a fun little scare. As always, we look forward to seeing your work!


September's POTM winner will be announced by or before Saturday, 10/6.

November 2007 POTM

We're going to try a structure based theme this time...

Tanka

From What is Tanka? @ American Tanka

What is Tanka?
Tanka is the name of an ancient form of Japanese poetry.

Tanka are 31-syllable poems that have been the most popular form of poetry in Japan for at least 1300 years. As a form of poetry, tanka is older than haiku, and tanka poems evoke a moment or mark an occasion with concision and musicality.

During Japan's Heian period (794-1185 A.D.) it was considered essential for a woman or man of culture to be able to both compose beautiful poetry and to choose the most aesthetically pleasing and appropriate paper, ink, and symbolic attachment---such as a branch, a flower---to go with it.

Tanka were often composed as a kind of finale to every sort of occasion; no experience was quite complete until a tanka had been written about it.

Tanka have changed and evolved over the centuries, but the form of five syllabic units containing 31 syllables has remained the same.Topics have expanded from the traditional expressions of passion and heartache, and styles have changed to include modern language and even colloquialisms.

In Japanese, tanka is often written in one straight line, but in English and other languages, we usually divide the lines into the five syllabic units: 5-7-5-7-7.

Usually, each line consists of one image or idea; unlike English poetry, one does not seek to "wrap" lines in tanka, though in the best tanka the five lines often flow seamlessly into one thought.

English is very different from Japanese, and the first-time writer of English-language tanka may find that his or her tanka are more cumbersome and contain more images than we find in translated Japanese tanka. With practice, though, you will find the form strangely suitable to our relatively nonsyllabic language.

From Tanka

Example of Tanka

To live is to break
by
Ueda Miyoji

To live is to break
One's heart for the sake of love;
A couple of doves,
Beaks touching on their way,
Are stepping out in the sun.

Simple, right?
In order to qualify, your entry must be three tanka, each in 5 lines of 5,7,5,7 and 7 syllables, and all three must somehow relate to each other. Give each tanka its own title; titles and subjects are up to you. I hope to see some really great entries!


October's POTM winner will be announced by Wednesday, 11/7.

December 2007 POTM

Freestyle!

We'll make it easy on you this month. Style, structure, subject are all up to you, and entries will be judged on originality and how well the chosen elements work together. And remember, per the POTM rules, entries are due by the second-to-last day of the month, no later. Have fun!



November's POTM winner will be announced shortly, just waiting for the last votes to roll in...

January 2008 POTM

For the first POTM of the new year, we're going to do a title/subject theme:

"Life, Death, and Rebirth"

For your entry to qualify, it must use this as its title and relate somehow to the idea of life, death and rebirth. You can use any structure, style, rhyme, etc. that you see fit. I know we're going to see some great poems for this one, and keep in mind that all entries are due by January 30, no later. Have fun!


December's POTM winner will be announced shortly.

February 2008 POTM

Humor

Pretty self-explanatory, right? Make us laugh, or at least crack a smile. We don't often see much in the way of humorous poems here, so this should be a nice change of pace for both the writers and the judges.
In order to qualify, your entry must be funny. Structure and subject are up to you, whatever you want as long as it's an amusing read.

Good luck, and I'm eager to see some great entries!

March 2008 POTM

Beware the Ides...

Betrayal

In honor of the Ides of March, the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated by members of the Roman Senate, this month's theme will focus on disloyalty, dishonesty, and good old-fashioned double-crossing. In order to qualify, your entry must have something to do with betrayal...title and structure are for you to decide. Have fun with it, and hopefully we'll see some great new works.

February's POTM winner will be announced shortly.