WD Poetic Form Challenge: Monotetra Winner
These form challenges are fun and good at accomplishing at least one thing: They burn the forms into my brain. Such has been the case with these monotetras. After reading…
These form challenges are fun and good at accomplishing at least one thing: They burn the forms into my brain. Such has been the case with these monotetras. After reading over the poems (many of them multiple times), I found myself thinking in 8-syllable lines with 4-syllable refrains. I'm surprised there weren't more poems that played with the echo idea (echo idea).
The winner of the monotetra challenge is: Elizabeth Johnson with her poem "Learning to Write." Congratulations, Elizabeth!
Here's Elizabeth's winning poem:
Learning to Write, by Elizabeth Johnson
I wrote a poem and thought it fine.
Its rhyme and rhythm sure did shine.
I sent the magazines a line--
"Will you print mine? Will you print mine?"
They wrote me back and said, "Not yet--
We think it is a nice vignette;
But when you write, please don't forget
What tense to set." What tense to set?
Turns out, before my poems commence
I must choose past or present tense.
I have no words in my defense!
It all makes sense. It all makes sense!
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I loved Elizabeth's poem and hope you did as well.
Here's the complete Top 10 list:
- "Learning to Write," by Elizabeth Johnson
- "Of Insomnia and Execution," by Brian Slusher
- "It wasn't me," by Tracy Davidson
- "Poet-in-transit," by Jacqueline Hallenbeck
- "End of Year Blues," by Cara Holman
- "Outta Touch," by RJ Clarken
- "Hard Times at the Office," by Margaret Fieland
- "Stalemate," by Nancy Posey
- "Bare Love," by Laurie Kolp
- "Getting Our Feet Wet," by De Jackson
Congratulations to everyone who made the Top 10 list! It was a tough list to make. I had to make some very difficult decisions once I whittled the list down to 21 poems.
Thank you to everyone who participated! I can't wait to start the next WD Poetic Form Challenge sometime in the next week or so. Stay tuned!
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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer
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The winner of this WD Poetic Form Challenge will be published in the January issue of Writer's Digest. Click here to learn more about this awesome magazine for writers.
Also, check out these resources for poets:
2011 Poet's Market, edited by Robert Lee Brewer
Writing the Life Poetic, by Sage Cohen
The Poetry Dictionary, by John Drury
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
