The following poem is the one I have always liked and I wrote it so quickly – it must be that writing from the heart, makes a difference.
I am submitting it for the October poetry month challenge. A little late but I have been occupied with hosting my own poetry challenge, which ends this month, well, last month, now that today is officially November.
This prompt is merely a suggestion and you may choose a topic of your liking and still be included in the challenge.
Remember to add the tag A and I Poetry Challenge, to your post, so that I can link to your blog in the final end of month round up of contributors.
FINAL MONTH FOR THE POETRY CHALLENGE
POST BEFORE 31ST OCTOBER to be INCLUDED in the CHALLENGE ROUND UP POST.
The challenge is open to everyone, from complete beginners to advanced writers or aspiring poets. The challenge will include writing tips and link backs for contributors. Beginner poet, hobbyist or Advanced writer We hope you will join in.
You can write in either language, however, please post a link back, and comment at both WordPress blogs to indicate your interest and include the tag A and I Poetry Challenge.
In this way, we can find you and read your poetry.
This is a really awesome limerick!!! I love it, and it has that memory making sing-song quality so that it sticks in one’s head for quite a while!!
I invite you to read this month’s submissions for the A and I Poetry challenge who have all done a fantastic job.
Poetry Challenge Contributors for September
Ju- Lyn varied the theme of seasons in refashioning-rules but also decided to give the limerick form a go, here. And I am very glad she did. The limerick is deceptively easy to write but difficult to convey a message in such few words. Ju-Lyn nailed it.
Manjamexi – penned a cheeky limerick with beautiful illustrations of mouth-watering photographs of a Cypress field many incarnations through the seasons.
Ineke’s delightful limerick on the seasonal changes in New Zealand – Scrapydo2.wordpress.com
Abrie Joubert – writes in Afrikaans but copy paste this into google Translate or use the translator button and you will find some wonderful words.
Abrie’s post on the A and I Poetry Challenge inspired two other Afrikaans writers to write limericks in the comments of Abrie’s post:
Hesterleynel – she is at it again! Well done, Hester.
Very well done to all of you! The translations were a lot of fun to read! One word translated to diarrhoea!! Not sure that it was meant as such, but it certainly was humorous!!
Hester’s post inspired Vuurklip to contribute in Afrikaans,on Hester blog post here
Tafuzul – submitted a surpise poem. He asked me to choose his best poem for his entry this month. Find it here
If you have written a poem in September and would like a linkback included here, please comment below.
Ineke mostly does the poetry in Afrikaans, while Amanda uses English.
The challenge is open to all, from first-timers up to well-advanced poets. Be sure to comment here so that we can find your poem for October and add you to the link up post at the end of this month.
October is the final month for the Poetry Challenge.
Amanda’s Poetry challenge is in English and Ineke’s Poetry Challenge is in Afrikaans, (with many translations in English). Everyone is welcome to join in. October is the final month of this challenge! Please do join in!
You can write in either language, however, please post a link back, and comment at both WordPress blogs to indicate your interest and include the tag A and I Poetry Challenge.
This prompt is merely a suggestion and you may choose a topic of your liking and still be included in the challenge.
Remember to add the tag A and I Poetry Challenge, to your post, so that I can link to your blog in the final end of month round up of contributors.
The challenge is open to everyone, from complete beginners to advanced writers or aspiring poets. The challenge will include writing tips and link backs for contributors. Beginner poet, hobbyist or Advanced writer We hope you will join in.
You can write in either language, however, please post a link back, and comment at both WordPress blogs to indicate your interest and include the tag A and I Poetry Challenge.
In this way, we can find you and read your poetry.
Write a limerick poem on the change of the season and post on your blog before 28th September. If you live in the Northern hemisphere, write about the onset of Autumn. Those living in the South, including Ineke and Amanda, write about the onset of Spring.
A Limerick is a humorous poem wherein the first line sets up the character(s) and setting, so the reader knows right away who/what the story is about.
Only five lines long, limerick poems have an ‘AABBA’ rhyme scheme.
Amanda’s challenge is in English and Ineke’s is in Afrikaans, (translations in English).
The challenge is open to everyone, from complete beginners to advanced writers or aspiring poets. The challenge will run from March to October, 2018 and will include writing tips and link backs for contributors. Beginner poet, hobbyist or Advanced writer We hope you will join in.
You can write in either language, however, please post a link back, and comment at both WordPress blogs to indicate your interest and include the tag A and I Poetry Challenge.
In this way, we can find you and read your poetry.
Amanda’s Poetry challenge is in English and Ineke’s Poetry Challenge is in Afrikaans, (with many translations in English). Everyone is welcome to join in.
You can write in either language, however, please post a link back, and comment at both WordPress blogs to indicate your interest and include the tag A and I Poetry Challenge.
This month’s feature poet is Steph, from the blog, Stories and Things Like That. I really like the repetition Steph uses in this poem and how the shape reinforces and emphasizes the touching memories of a loved one.
Blogger Submissions for August
The prompt in August was to write a poem or format a poem with a Heart theme.
We had some wonderful interpretations of this theme, so please do hop around and check them all out.
Hesterleynel writes in both Afrikaans and English, which is no easy feat and cleverly uses a heart format to communicate her words.
The challenge is open to everyone, from complete beginners to advanced writers or aspiring poets. The challenge will run from March to October, 2018.
You can write in either language but please post a link back or comment at both WordPress blogs to indicate your interest and include the tag A and I Poetry Challenge.
Each month we will post poetry writing tips, (see this month’s below) and link-backs to those who contributed by posting a poem with the Tag A and I Poetry Challenge. on their blog.
Beginner poet, hobbyist or Advanced writer – we hope you will join in with us.
This might be a poem with lines written in the shape of a heart, or a poem about love, getting to the heart of a problem, about folks wearing their hearts on their sleeves, or someone showing a lot of heart in competitions.
Post on your blog on or before 30th August, 2018 to be included in the link-backs for August. The prompt is merely a suggestion and any topic is welcome.
Write a Heart Poem in August
August Poetry Writing Tips
Finding inspiration to write poetry isn’t always easy or may not come automatically to many of us. Sometimes, our minds just get stuck for the right word. Or you can feel the word on the tip of your tongue but cannot get it out?
There are loads of tools on the net to help you in this sticky situation.
This month we look at some sites to help us find inspiration and words for our Poetry.
The most popular rhyming dictionary is RhymeZone. Enter the word you need a rhyme for and Rhymezone returns multiple words that rhyme. RhymeZone also has some useful advanced features. If you want to find words that rhyme with love, just enter “love” at Rhymezone and you will get responses for one syllable and multi-syllable rhyming words. You can also search for synonyms or even definitions with this site.
July is a month where many in both hemispheres take holidays, the temperate south freezes a little, while the subtropical south basks in dry warm daytime temps, and the temperate north experiences its long daylight hours of summertime. Great for relaxing and taking it easy. Perhaps some of our other contributors are also on holiday.
So I invite you to take a look at this month’s submissions who join in with the
Tafazul is an engineering student from Kashmir who loves to draw and write. His poetry is so very interesting to read. You can find more of his work at his blog, here.
Not sure if he should begin, frightened about the endings. He dipped his brush in the air filled with melancholy, painting his chaos on her heart. She followed the chaos.
its a labyrinth
that is what she thought only frightened about the beginnings, but they both were stuck in a maze
at different dead ends.
_Tafazul Mattoo
I am including another link to a poem of Tafazul’s here as it is definitely worth a read!
Amanda at Penpunt writes bilingually in Afrikaans and English, with her poem that makes readers think more deeply about the back story of conflict in her submission. A must read.
Please add the tag A and I Poetry Challenge on YOUR BLOG POST.
As ping backs sometimes don’t work, please also leave a comment at Ineke’s blog, scrapydo2.wordpress.com and Amanda’s blog, Something to Ponder About, with the url link to YOUR blog post on the challenge post for that month. N.B. If you do this, others can find their way to your challenge post and create a supportive community too.
Include the Poetry Challenge badge in your post, if you so wish. (optional)
Time is almost up for posting poems for the A and I Poetry Challenge for the month of May. Have you written your poem, yet?
Post a poem with a linkback to my blog and Ineke’s before the 28th May, so I can easily find it and include it in the next monthly Poetry Challenge post.
Poetry Challenge – May Prompt
*Write a poem using this photograph or one of your own as inspiration.
N.B. If you choose to use your own photo, please post the photo along with the poem.
You will find the full post on the May prompt and guidelines here
Poetry Writing Tips
I will discuss more about using concrete language in poetry next month but here is a taste to get you thinking and writing in a more concrete way.
Tip: Use concrete language instead of abstract language
The key to writing great poetry is to write focused, concrete poetry. But many beginning poets write poetry based around wide themes such as love, life, and anger, generalizing their writing.
By using strong language, active verbs instead of passive verbs and concrete language instead of abstract, you can capture a reader’s interest and captivate a reader’s imagination. Poetry, as something others read, should be at its best interactive, and at its worse, straight forward and clear.
Here is an example:
Concrete words describe things that people experience with their senses.
orange
warm
cat
A person can see orange, feel warm, or hear a cat.
Poets use concrete words help the reader get a “picture” of what the poem is talking about. When the reader has a “picture” of what the poem is talking about, he/she can better understand what the poet is talking about.
Abstract words refer to concepts or feelings.
liberty
happy
love
“Liberty” is a concept, “happy” is a feeling, and no one can agree on whether “love” is a feeling, a concept or an action.
A person can’t see, touch, or taste any of these things. As a result, when used in poetry, these words might simply fly over the reader’s head, without triggering any sensory response. Further, “liberty,” “happy,” and “love” can mean different things to different people. Therefore, if the poet uses such a word, the reader may take a different meaning from it than the poet intended.
Change Abstract Words Into Concrete Words
To avoid problems caused by using abstract words, use concrete words.
Example: “She felt happy.”
This line uses the abstract word “happy.” To improve this line, change the abstract word to a concrete image. One way to achieve this is to think of an object or a scene that evokes feelings of happiness to represent the happy feeling.
Improvement: “Her smile spread like red tint on ripening tomatoes.”
The A and I Poetry challenge is jointly hosted by Amanda and Ineke and is open to everyone, from complete beginners to advanced writers or aspiring poets. The challenge will run from March to October, 2018. We will share tips, offer a monthly prompt and post link backs to your published Poetry posts.
Please scroll down to see April’s poetry writing tips.
Instructions for joining are on the Poetry Challenge Page. You are very welcome to enter.
You can write any kind of poem that you like, as the prompt is merely a suggestion. Write in any language you like; it certainly doesn’t have to be in English. As this is a joint challenge with Ineke, she will also post the challenge in Afrikaans on her blog, so if that language suits you better, visit her here.
N.B. Please leave a comment here if you wish to be included in the Ping backs for this month.
Poetry Challenge – April Prompt:
Write a poem that begins with the last thing you can remember someone saying to you yesterday. So if you can use that line two to three times throughout your poem.
Here is my Poem for April, inspired by Anie, who is one of my lovely readers: –
Anie’s Rain
Like raindrops falling on to glass, I can not fight this force
that propels me forward to the end.
Like raindrops falling on to glass, it is fruitless to fight
what I cannot control.
Like raindrops falling on to glass, each journey individual, different from another.
Some hurry, sliding past, more sort of slow and steady,
one might falter at the start, coalesce or lose identity in groups,
Softly seductive, their lifetime short, imprint merely temporary,
All one substance.
One end.
~ Amanda
I can’t wait to read what you come up with this month. Don’t forget to link back to this post, on your poetry submission post, and leave a link and comment here so Ineke, Amanda and others can find your post.
Poetry Tips
Write poetry as often as you can.
Designate a special notebook (or space in your notebook) for poetry writing.
Embrace metaphors but stay away from clichés ( I find this especially difficult!)
Don’t be afraid to write a bad poem. You can write a better one later.
Don’t back away from your thoughts or feelings. Express them!
Poetry Techniques – Metaphor and Simile
Whilst there are many different styles for writing poetry, you may find one or more works for you. No matter what style or techniques you use, a poem can reach people in ways that other text can’t. It might be abstract or concrete but often it conveys strong emotions. Some common techniques used in poetry are onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, rhyming, simile and metaphor. Using metaphor and similes will bring imagery and concrete words into your writing.
The difference between simile and metaphor is explained here:
A metaphor is a statement that pretends one thing is really something else:
Example: “The lead singer is an elusive salamander.”
This phrase does not mean that the lead singer is literally a salamander. Rather, it takes an abstract characteristic of a salamander (elusiveness) and projects it onto the person. By using metaphor to describe the lead singer, the poet creates a much more vivid picture of him/her than if the poet had simply said “The lead singer’s voice is hard to pick out.”
Simile
A simile is a statement where you say one object is similar to another object. Similes use the words “like” or “as.”
Example: “He was curious as a caterpillar” or “He was curious, like a caterpillar”
This phrase takes one quality of a caterpillar and projects it onto a person. It is an easy way to attach concrete images to feelings and character traits that might usually be described with abstract words.
Note: A simile is not any better or worse than a metaphor. The point to remember is that comparison, inference, and suggestion are all important tools of poetry; similes and metaphors are merely one of the tools in your poetry writing toolbox that will help.
The challenge is open to everyone, from complete beginners to advanced writers or aspiring poets. The challenge will run from March to October, 2018. We will share tips, offer a monthly prompt and post link backs to your published Poetry posts.
Below are links and snippets of March’s wonderful Poetry entries. If I’ve missed anything, or anyone, please let me know. Pingbacks have been known to fail, so it is always helpful if you leave a comment on this post, to flag that you are joining in with the challenge.
Poetry Entries for March
Take a trip through Poetry around the World. Browsing the entries will take you to Australia, South Africa, Slovenia, Denmark, India and Pakistan to read this month’s contributions to the A and I Bilingual Poetry Challenge.
Does sea-sick mean to be sick of the sea?” – ManjaMexi
Would you like to join in this month?
Write and post a poem in any language you wish, during the month of April, adding the Tag: A and I Poetry Challenge to your post.
Leave a comment on Amanda’s and Ineke’s blog letting us know you are participating.
Please link back to this post, so we can find your entry.
The topic can be one of your choosing, however if you want to try a fun prompt, the suggestion for April will be posted on Something to Ponder About, tomorrow, Monday 2nd April, 2018.
Remember, you do not have to use this prompt, at all. The prompt is only there if you feel you want a topic to work from, or you find it hard to come up with an initial idea.
Ineke and I have created the above logo for the Poetry Challenge and you are very welcome to paste this onto your blog post or sidebar, so that others can also find out about the challenge, if you so wish.
That is it!
Oh and have fun writing!!
N.B. Ineke and I will post link backs to the blogs who have joined in with the challenge in the poetry challenge post in the following month, so that you can all find each other’s blog posts and build a new poet’s community!
Let us build a Poetry Community in WordPress.
And if you haven’t had enough poetry yet, there is NaPoWriMo
You are invited to join in. See instructions below.
Poetry Writing Tips
Honour the miraculousness of the ordinary. What we very badly need to remember is that the things right under our noses are extraordinary, fascinating, irreplaceable, profound and just kind of marvellous.
Look at the things in the foreground and relish stuff that can lose its glow by being familiar. In fact, re-estranging ourselves to familiar things seems to be a very important part of what poetry can do. [Source: From http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-29538180:]
“The first step in any poem is coming up with something to write about. Don’t feel that you have to choose profound or “poetic” material. It’s easiest to write a good poem about something you know well, that you have experienced first-hand, or that you have nearby so that you can observe it carefully. This is because what makes the poem profound and interesting will be the hidden details or qualities you discover, or what the subject reminds you of, your unique perspective. With poems, as with other things (or so I hear), it’s not the size that matters, it’s what you do with it.In the beginning, you don’t have to worry about “style,” about writing in a “beautiful” or a “poetic” way. In fact, if you start to think about “being poetic,” it can distract you from what you’re actually writing about and hurt your poem.”
Add the tag A and I Poetry Challenge to your post.
As ping backs sometimes don’t work, please also leave a comment at Ineke’s blog, scrapydo2.wordpress.com and Amanda’s blog, Something to Ponder About, with the url link to YOUR blog post on the challenge post for that month. N.B. If you do this, others can find their way to your challenge post and create a supportive community too.
Include the Poetry Challenge badge in your post, if you so wish. (optional)
That is it!
Oh, and have fun writing!! Any questions? Just ask.
Ineke and I will post link backs to the blogs who have joined in with the challenge in the poetry challenge post in the following month, so that you can all find each other’s blog posts and build a new poet’s community!!
Perhaps!
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