Poetry competition CLOSED 9th March 2019 10:35am
WINNER
Jade-Pandora (jade tiger)
Jade-Pandora (jade tiger)
Page:
Sapphics 1 of n
Poetry Contest Description
Write a poem of sapphic stanzas.
For the purposes of this competition, a sapphic stanza is
four lines, consisting of
three lines of
two trochees, a dactyl and two more trochees, and
a dactyl and trochee.
/u /u /uu /u /u
/u /u /uu /u /u
/u /u /uu /u /u
/uu /u
Here's an example by Ezra Pound, the first stanza from Apparuit
"Golden rose the house, in the portal I saw
thee, a marvel, carven in subtle stuff, a
portent. Life died down in the lamp and flickered,
caught at the wonder."
with the rest of the poem here ... https://www.inspirationalstories.com/poems/apparuit-ezra-pound-poems/
Lastly, here is a link to some background to the sapphic stanza ... https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/jul/02/poster-poems-sapphics
(note that I've ignored the anceps when setting the rules of the competition).
As to themes and inspiration ... you could look around at the current competitions, use their themes for inspiration and submit the work in both places.
Boring
sapphic stanzas
Standing on the side of a bridge, he shouted
Hate for all the world he had once so touted.
“Suicide is best,” he no longer doubted,
“Life is too boring…”
Cloying losers, all of his “friends” were humdrum
Lifeless stodgy people, he could not become
One of their kind, better to die and be done
With all of their shit.
As he stood there, thinking about his trouble,
He was asked for money, a hungry hobo—
Who he made to listen, befuddled. Hobo
Pushed him right over!
Standing on the side of a bridge, he shouted
Hate for all the world he had once so touted.
“Suicide is best,” he no longer doubted,
“Life is too boring…”
Cloying losers, all of his “friends” were humdrum
Lifeless stodgy people, he could not become
One of their kind, better to die and be done
With all of their shit.
As he stood there, thinking about his trouble,
He was asked for money, a hungry hobo—
Who he made to listen, befuddled. Hobo
Pushed him right over!
Written by ReggiePoet
(Reggie)
Go To Page
Saffron Days
: minstrels of words
( a sapphic poem )
Love of spoken verse by our Sappho’s passion,
shared between my good friend Orpheus and I,
would have us, as a rule, the dueling poets
Till day turned saffron.
Two young buskers head-strong: wine, women & song
among the common folk we’d trod, to peddle
and spread the verse of stories & morals sung,
eyeing pretty girls.
Most were glad to hear from us, as we two walked,
down the dusty roads we’d wander, singing, like
troubadours, through villages and fields, leaf-strewn,
of parchment and mist.
Those days of sandal-wandering were famous
not only with the gathered souls in town, but
farmers pushing carts & shepherds with their sheep,
with whom we would sleep.
( a sapphic poem )
Love of spoken verse by our Sappho’s passion,
shared between my good friend Orpheus and I,
would have us, as a rule, the dueling poets
Till day turned saffron.
Two young buskers head-strong: wine, women & song
among the common folk we’d trod, to peddle
and spread the verse of stories & morals sung,
eyeing pretty girls.
Most were glad to hear from us, as we two walked,
down the dusty roads we’d wander, singing, like
troubadours, through villages and fields, leaf-strewn,
of parchment and mist.
Those days of sandal-wandering were famous
not only with the gathered souls in town, but
farmers pushing carts & shepherds with their sheep,
with whom we would sleep.
Written by Jade-Pandora
(jade tiger)
Go To Page
Fleeting Moments
Mommy! I just wanted to show you something
made by me. The company place sounds yucky!
Hang this in the cubicle mommy. It’s a
family drawing!
Mommy, can we travel outside? I want to
have a picnic! We can sing songs, eat yummy
food, and make some daisy chains, too! There’s still some
sunlight to play in.
There’s a big storm mommy! It’s dark and scary,
but with you beside me I know that I’ll be
safe and sound. Your whispers and kisses stop the
lightning and thunder.
Even though you didn’t decide to have me,
there is not a moment I didn’t love you.
Don’t be sad we can’t be together because I’ll
always love Mommy.
made by me. The company place sounds yucky!
Hang this in the cubicle mommy. It’s a
family drawing!
Mommy, can we travel outside? I want to
have a picnic! We can sing songs, eat yummy
food, and make some daisy chains, too! There’s still some
sunlight to play in.
There’s a big storm mommy! It’s dark and scary,
but with you beside me I know that I’ll be
safe and sound. Your whispers and kisses stop the
lightning and thunder.
Even though you didn’t decide to have me,
there is not a moment I didn’t love you.
Don’t be sad we can’t be together because I’ll
always love Mommy.
Written by Wandering_Virgil
Go To Page
euphoriasm
Sapphic Stanza
Copy/paste this link to view fullscale visual poem in full colour:
http://mydo.cx/Y2ZhYmUx
there’s no light where the arms of night surround me.
there’s no night where the light of day has found me.
twilight time brings me neither filth nor fortune.
only a greyness
mixed between transient earth and constant heaven.
twixt the ransom for blunders unforgiven
and the ransomed, who dwell beyond misfortune,
bides an inaneness
rescueless, till the earth drinks of the fountain
of the mercy that dwells above the mountains.
peace shall rejuvenate her banks, as jordan
heals every chasm.
surely, there is no night where i am going!
limit of time and space shall bear no knowing.
perpetual the joys to be apportioned.
euphoriasm.
© Copyright 2019 March 07
by Clyve A. Bowen
Copy/paste this link to view fullscale visual poem in full colour:
http://mydo.cx/Y2ZhYmUx
there’s no light where the arms of night surround me.
there’s no night where the light of day has found me.
twilight time brings me neither filth nor fortune.
only a greyness
mixed between transient earth and constant heaven.
twixt the ransom for blunders unforgiven
and the ransomed, who dwell beyond misfortune,
bides an inaneness
rescueless, till the earth drinks of the fountain
of the mercy that dwells above the mountains.
peace shall rejuvenate her banks, as jordan
heals every chasm.
surely, there is no night where i am going!
limit of time and space shall bear no knowing.
perpetual the joys to be apportioned.
euphoriasm.
© Copyright 2019 March 07
by Clyve A. Bowen
Written by cabcool
Go To Page
Themed Dreams
Stanzas come to me when I have been sleeping,
Waking me inspired from out of themed dreams,
Writing down concepts that I have been thinking,
Gone quickly they seem.
All day I ponder on what I was feeling,
Learning my brain is not the same as my mind,
Sensing the verse somewhere nearby its reeling,
Done in its own time.
Ringing in my head Sapphics feel so haunting,
Trying on old song classics is a nice change,
Seeing them like some graphics they are daunting,
And they feel so strange.
Stanzas come to me when I have been sleeping,
Waking me inspired from out of themed dreams,
Writing down concepts that I have been thinking,
Gone quickly they seem.
All day I ponder on what I was feeling,
Learning my brain is not the same as my mind,
Sensing the verse somewhere nearby its reeling,
Done in its own time.
Ringing in my head Sapphics feel so haunting,
Trying on old song classics is a nice change,
Seeing them like some graphics they are daunting,
And they feel so strange.
