WD Poetic Form Challenge: Results

It's taken me forever, but I've finally got the results for the WD Poetic Form Challenge! Despite the length of time it took to judge, I really enjoyed seeing the creativity in all the forms, and I hope to share some of the finalists in future posts.

The finalists were (in random order):

I'd like to congratulate all the finalists. There were a lot of great new forms introduced to me, and these were my personal favorites. However, I could only pick one to be the winner, which is...

Susan Budig's Anapeat!

Here are the rules of her form:

By the way, what the heck is anaphora?
From The Poetry Dictionary: A rhetorical device in which several successive lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences begin with the same word or phrase.

Here's the example that Susan included with her submission:

Our Bliss, by Susan Budig

The requiem of our bliss begins
as I unlock the birdcage of my heart,
freeing all kept promises, cleaning out
the spent seeds and stale water.
You know my gestures intimately;

you've watched me dozens of years.
The requiem of our bliss begins
as I open my mouth to keen,
recalling the chariot of our wedded life.
See how it trundles along, broken and squeaking.

So, too, has our love passed from ecstatic trills
to shrill whines--a dismal threnody.
The requiem of our bliss begins
as I unclench my hand, releasing our love
to find its resting chamber.

Our certificate of vows must slip through
rusted spindles that once bound us together.
Let it pass.
The requiem of our bliss begins
as our hands fall onto shredded newspaper.

I lay our photo upon the flame;
the edges curl and blacken.
Your face furrows as I snuff out our attachment.
I am burning your out of my heart.
The requiem of our bliss begins.

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Congratulations to Susan!

And thanks to all who submitted forms! They were all a great show of how creative everyone can be--not only with words but the structures that hold them.

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Click here to learn more about The Poetry Dictionary, by John Drury (mentioned above). It's filled with poetry-related information, including poetic forms, terms, history, and more!