WD Poetic Form Challenge: The Tritina Winner

These tritinas were fun to read. If sestinas are poetic marathons, these tritinas are like half-marathons (or even 10Ks). Sorry, the runner in me has to reach for that metaphor….

These tritinas were fun to read. If sestinas are poetic marathons, these tritinas are like half-marathons (or even 10Ks). Sorry, the runner in me has to reach for that metaphor.

As usual, it was tough to figure out a top 10, and even more difficult to pick the winner. But I think I made the right decision (and I hope you agree).

Inafatuation, by Laurie Kolp

She came home with stars in her eyes
twirling her hair, a dreamy smile
out of touch; I stadium waved hello.

A boy from church had told her hello
on the school bus where their eyes
met a split second in time, she smiled

as she told me the story and I smiled
because love always starts with hello
a skip beat of the heart, locking eyes.

Hello teen years, I smiled then rolled my eyes.

*****

As a parent (and former teenager), I love the exchange between mother and daughter and girl and boy in this poem. Congratulations, Laurie!

Here's how the final top 10 settled:

  1. Infatuation, by Laurie Kolp
  2. Elegy for Two Finches, by Bruce Niedt
  3. A Tritina for Jeffrey, by Marian O'Brien Paul
  4. Montague Island, by Taylor Graham
  5. The tao of auto-body, by Andrew Kreider
  6. Crumbs, by Jane Shlensky
  7. The Edge of Reason, by Kevin DeRossett
  8. Song to the Tern, by Layla Coyle
  9. Recalling your swells, by Khara H.
  10. Chasing the Buzz, by Jessica Lafortune

Congratulations to everyone in the Top 10, and thank you to everyone who took part in the challenge! It's really incredible to see all the supportive comments even as everyone is essentially "competing" for the top spot. So one more congratulations to everyone in the community--it was a group effort!

If you want another challenge, stay tuned. I'm sure another will be coming down the pipe rather soon.

*****

Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer and check out my other blog, My Name Is Not Bob.

*****

…with a digital subscription to Writer’s Digest magazine. Each issue includes a poetic form and at least one winner of the WD Poetic Form Challenge! Of course, if you prefer a print subscription, those are available too.

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.