Well! What was originally going to be my own little poetry challenge has turned into a major competition! Please read every word in this opening post very carefully as everything I say must be adhered to. I don't know if you know this, but I am very strict with my rules and regulations...
The general point of this competition
A few of us users have come up with a list of 50 themes which can be found below. The aim of this competition is to write a poem or a piece of short prose for each theme, just for fun! There are no deadlines (as of yet) for the submissions because I don't want the pieces to be hurriedly written, so don't let that put you off participating. Everyone is welcome to participate. There's no pressure to submit all 50 pieces, take your time, have fun!
Please remember to follow the basic rules of the AMW. All work must be your own. No flaming, trolling, spamming, etc. Only provide critique on a user's piece if they have asked for it specifically. Keep general discussion on this thread to a minimum so as to remain at least a little bit on topic.
Submissions
A list of rules that (hopefully) cover everything you need to know about submissions. Read carefully. If you have any questions, contact me on my profile.
*You do not need to submit the pieces in order. You may start with whichever theme you like.
* Once you have written and revised a piece, submit it!
*You may submit more than one piece at a time, although submitting too many at once will seem as though you've rushed them.
*I will keep track of how many submissions each participant has entered on my profile, so take a look once in a while.
*Only short prose pieces are accepted. Nothing too longwinded please. I am going to include a word limit of 1,500 words.
*There is a certain structure to submitting a piece in order to keep the thread nice and tidy: - Your piece must have the theme name and number as the title in bold. You may also include your own title in brackets next to it. - You must state which form you have written your piece in, for example, haiku, short prose, sonnet, standard verse, etc.
Here is an example post;
51. Insanity (Two Minds) - Haiku
Come here; don't be scared I am confined in both minds Stay away from me
List Of Themes 1. Innocence 2. Entombment 3. A Forgotten Name 4. Rising Tide 5. A Broken Picture 6. Leaves Falling In Autumn 7. Birth 8. Falling Into The Abyss 9. Near-death Experience 10. Beautiful Sunset 11. New School 12. Describing Colour To A Blind Person 13. Home Alone 14. Nightmare 15. Dreams 16. Inner strength 17. Self-Hatred 18. Martyrdom 19. Political Corruption 20. Self-Completion 21. Genius 22. Thanksgiving 23. Halloween 24. Christmas 25. Guilt 26. Daydreams 27. Orange Leaves In Autumn 28. A Shy Person In The Middle Of A Crowd 29. Unrequited love 30. Kraken 31. Memories 32. Revolution 33. The Shining Auroras 34. Poverty 35. A Hero Among Evil 36. An Entity Who Shows Itself 37. The 5th Dimension 38. Berserk Wildlife 39. A Light In The Black 40. Trial And Error 41. A Creation 42. Two-Faced 43. Disillusionment 44. Regular/Ordinary 45. The Mind Of A Villain 46. Someone Who Lives To Watch The World Burn. 47. Old Age 48. Something For The Girls 49. Something For The Boys 50. Go Crazy
And now for the fun part...
I am going to include a few features similar to Strop's 'erks and penalties' idea in the WoM. Some of them are preeeetty difficult, so good luck with that. Once you've completed one, I'll stick your name on my profile.
Here they are:
1) Theme-a-Rama!: Mention 15 separate themes in one piece.
2) Sonnet 130: Write a mock sonnet which relates to love and one other theme.
3) Total Overkill: Use the theme title 6 times in one piece.
4) Like a Freight Train: Be the first to complete the first 10 themes.
5) In The Dank And Dark Recesses Of The Mind...: Be the first to complete themes 8, 14, 17 and 46.
Flowing across my vision like choppy waves It is dark, it is black. It swallows up my last memories of light. This dark horse flies across the world this nightmare She's tired, she's cold. Like a ghost, she soars through reality this ragged nightmare Then, a crash! And bright red light slices through my dream my sweet, gentle dream is no longer. I am in a nightmare Where am I? I am back again, on the beach where there is cold, salty spray drenching this poor, sad, nightmare Her mane and tail seem as if they are made of clouds that have been shredded with a cheesegrater Her coat is a dull silver-black. I can't see it though, through this nightmare I just know. And a growing sound comes overwhelming me with its might And I and this nightmare are returned home to a place where silence is everywhere and I am satisfied.
Well, since no one else is posting... I've got one. no one's done this... so I thought I might.
49. Something For The Boys Uhh... Poem? I don't know classifications.
BB guns and Call of Duty. Halo. Modern Warfare. Why do you speak of these things? Girls don't care about how many kills you've made on the Destruction level pack
We only pay attention to deeper stuff than that Musicality beats anything compassionate is the superior quality So Don't try to impress us With your knowledge of skateboarding off of 50 foot ramps Because all we see is you and your personality With its outstanding quality.
Soft velvet darkness. Tender as a lover. If only to embrace Me, foolish me, For but a moment. Drifting ever down To lover's embrace. That glides across Oh so silently. Ah, peace... I have at last found. Peace. Here, admist the dark, The endless dark.
23. Halloween The haunted house creaks as the bats fly over it. Cracked tombstones lay on the front yard. A massive cloud appears as you walk closer and closer toward the house. Lightning strikes and thunder is heard. A lone wolf howls in the distance. Everystep you take, the farther away the house seems, but eventually you are on the front porch on top of the wood that could collapse at any moment. A spider falls dangles from the room right behind you. You knock on the door and it slowly opens making a sound like an unoiled gate. "Trick-or-treat!" you say and a woman comes out and gives you candy. You walk away and say to yourself, "That wasn't worth it..."
Just so you know, all of mine will be either Haiku or Tanka, as those are the only poems I'm capable of writing.
1. Innocence- When I tell my jokes, You stand there, looking confused, Such naivety! 2. Entombment- Free to go no-where, I am forced to go wander, Through my mind's wonders. 3. A Forgotten Name- Hello there, er...um. Of course I remember you! Tim? Oh...it's Robert? 4. Rising Tide- Always, in the news, One can see it, rising high. The tide of chaos. 5. A Broken Picture- Worth a thousand words, Yet these words are distorted. I look, and despair. 6. Leaves Falling In Autumn- Their swirling motion, Their gentle, downward spiral, 'Tis almost over. 7. Birth- Screaming with the pain, Sweating, bleeding, terrified. What grace, what beauty. 8. Falling Into The Abyss- Who are you again? I can't seem to remember. Oh...you're my grandsom. 9. Near-death Experience- The light, she is near. I see my loved ones, waiting. The darkness returns. 10. Beautiful Sunset- The rays of color, The sweet intoxication, Of blooming romance.
Since that line was annoying everyone I asked to critique my poems, I've changed it. The poem now goes like this: Entombment- Free to go no-where, I am forced to gallivant, Through my mind's wonders.
