Places to Chat
The Poetry Challenge!
Chatterbox: Pudding's Place
The Poetry Challenge!
The Poetry Challenge!
Welcome, wonderful poets of the CB! With Bluebirds Regular Poetry thread, and Booksy's Poetry Contest, I was just thinking how much I like to click on those threads and just read through everyone's poetry that I haven't seen yet. But sometimes there is no new poetry to read, which is depressing. Thus The Poetry Challenge was born.
I'm sure you're all dying to know what this Poetry Challenge is. Hang in there a second, I'm getting to that. The basic idea of this is that we exercise our poem writing muscles, practice, improve, and at the end we have a beautiful Poetry Gallery to scroll through. It's a bit of a game, a bit of a prompt, and a bit of a competition all in one.
The rules are simple. We will write as much poetry as we can in the course of one week, and post it here. One poem a day for a week, although you can do more if you feel inspired. I will start by posting a theme, a prompt, or a technique, or any combination of those, and the rest of you will have to write a poem that corresponds with those things each day of the week. Then we can all vote for the most inspiring poem, and that person will become the next 'announcer'. The fun part is, the announcer can play too! Feel free to illustrate your poems and post those, too!
GUIDLINES:
No voting for yourself.
Please don't choose a category just because it's one you'd like (although don't choose a category you don't like either).
You can drop out at any time.
Be kind and respectful (obviously).
The categories must be pretty wide ranged since so many poems will be written from them.
Have fun!
~
To start off the first round, the theme is.............
SUMMER!
Whether you write about the beach, the pool, or the hot sun, summer is here and in full fling!
The optional prompt is: Warlike Arts (This is completely random. Jeopardy is on the Tv and I saw those two words and typed them down on the spot).
Nugget says gven. Given? I've given the gift of this wonderful Poetry Challenge to the world.
submitted by Leeli
(July 10, 2017 - 6:35 pm)
(July 10, 2017 - 6:35 pm)
Day 2! Wow, this poem is... blah. I'm going to try to post everyday, but don't expect any of these poems to be good. Also, not really sticking with the theme again, but I did mention August...
daze
sometimes i can't
think
my mind
is green
stagnant swamp
water in an
august high,
teeming with
mosquitoes and
drooping
eyelids
~~~~~
Author's Note: Did I use a lot of breaks in between lines to make this poem seem longer? Pfft, no...
(July 15, 2017 - 9:27 pm)
Summer used to be
swimming at that one lake,
where there were seldom
very many people
where there were no swim tests
or people telling you couldn't swim past
a certain area if
you hadn't passed one.
But now that's different,
now I have to be tested to swim
in a lake that
I have been swimming in for
years and years.
Summer used to be sitting
roasting marshmallows
as they sun set
on the ocean behind us,
telling stories or,
in my case, just
listening to the sound of others talking,
staring into the flames, mesmerized
by the undulating tongues
and rhythm of voices and
waves lapping at the sand
the scent of smoke hovering in the air.
But now we aren't going there,
to that one beach with the
same logs that were there
years before,
years and years.
And as I write this
my face is sunburned
from swimming in
a different lake,
and my hair messy and dirty
because of reasons other than
that I have been camping for the past
few days, where we have been going for
years and years.
(July 15, 2017 - 11:18 pm)
WOW, this is absolutely beautiful! I had to re-read this, it's amazing! I can't pick a favorite line, I love the whole thing. Great poem, Epic!
(July 17, 2017 - 9:30 pm)
For once I am
perfectly contented
with the friendship of others close around.
With their laughs and smiles I can forget
your laugh and smile
and I can imagine you with us
clad in your angel's wings
smiling in the heat of the summer
perfectly contented.
(July 16, 2017 - 2:04 am)
Beautiful, Ruby! I love yours too, Epic Fangirl.
(July 16, 2017 - 4:42 pm)
Here's one for warlike art
swordpoint~
it is absolutely key in a duel of any
sport to have your weapon of choice
functioning at all times, because no one
truly has a death wish no matter what they
say but sometimes my weapons fail me
held at sword point i open my mouth and nothing
comes out, it's nearly impossible to defend with
nothing in your arsenal, words come flying at me
with razor pointed edges and i can't seem to get my
shield up
(July 16, 2017 - 11:11 am)
Wow, September, that's powerful.
(July 16, 2017 - 4:44 pm)
Thanks so much, Leeli!
(July 17, 2017 - 10:44 pm)
The heat is a blanket
covering, oppressing, swaddling
numbs the mind and dulls the senses.
Insensate, it smothers my face and enters my body
filling my lungs with dragon's fire
The heat covers and does not let up.
(July 17, 2017 - 2:07 am)
Ok, this is for yesterday since I didn't get a chance to post. I consider it one of my better poems. It's supposed to be to Summer from Winter's POV.
Dear Summer~
I know we are
Polar
Opposites
But I think that
I have been
the cold one.
I freeze
And
You thaw
When autumn passes
I take my leave
Covering things in
Frost
And snow,
So beautiful
Yet so deadly.
I freeze
Tree branches
Leaves
Grass
Water
All
Ice now.
I create snow
Beauty
Frost dragons
On windows.
I am the reason for
Ice skating
Snowmen
And hot cocoa
I am the reason for
Stories by the fire
Warm blankets
And sledding.
And yet
They make me seem
Like the bad guy.
I guess for them
I am nothing
In comparison
To you.
When spring passes,
You
Take the grass
Making it green
You grow the trees
Blow the water
Make the sun shine.
You make the days bright
Giving them reason
To cool off
You make
Plants grow
Gardens grow
So they can eat fresh watermelon
By the lake.
You are the reason for
Sand castles
Beach days
And
Roasting s'mores.
You are the reason for
Swimming pools
Gardening
And
Running through the sprinkler.
I guess
I've never liked
Hot weather.
But I think
Deep down
I've always loved you.
(July 17, 2017 - 8:43 am)
Oh my goodness, I want you to write more about this, Leeli! This is an awesome idea and your poem was beautiful!
Can I ship summer and winter? XD
(July 17, 2017 - 9:33 pm)
Thank you! I loved playing with this concept, too, and I'm trying to think of more ways to use it.
If you get to ship Swinter, then so do I. XD
(July 18, 2017 - 8:07 am)
I originally titled this porch lights & fireflies but I'm thinking that I need a new title
summer nights i find myself wandering
because without school on my mind,
everything else spirals, spirals, i'm falling
down a rabbit hole but i can't see the top
anymore, no light but i can barely make out
shadows of ideas i thought were long gone
partially forgotten lost to the depths of my
fusiform gyrus but some mysterious anchor
has fished them out perhaps they were
magnetized somehow drawn to the top by
way of longing for light
summer nights i find myself wandering
because someone told me that fresh air
works wonders for troubled and/or
anxious minds i think they were referring
to both in my case but i'm here now standing
on my porch steps my shadow is elongated by
bright porch lights motion sensors they know
i'm going providing some light in this smudged
gray darkness i have a flashlight but i probably
won't need it because i'm not afraid of the dark
but i like telling people that i am because fitting
in is rather essential
summer nights i find myself wandering
but too often i find myself lost
(July 17, 2017 - 12:45 pm)
I love this, September!
I'm not participating in this because I can barely write one good poem a month and I probably could force myself to write something every day, but I'm pretty sure I would just be miserable. Oh well.
(July 17, 2017 - 3:19 pm)
September, this is probably my favorite poem I have ever read. It's amazing! I love how there's not much punctuation, it's like a continuous thought, and the imagery in this poem was beautiful. This whole poem just left me in awe.
(July 17, 2017 - 9:37 pm)