My writing group held a poetry contest this month with the theme of “Holidays.” I didn’t win.
Which isn’t too surprising, as NaNoWriMo pushed everything else out of my mind and I forgot about the contest. That is, until I got the meeting reminder notice the day before. Since we had all promised each other that we would participate in the contests, I felt I had to come up with something.
No waiting for the flash of inspiration or the beckoning of the muse. This was the time to be a professional, and just write. Poetry really isn’t my thing, but that’s not the point. A little venturing out of the comfort zone is always a good. It teaches more about the craft of writing, and develops skills in the use of the language.
Contests also give you a good way to see how your work measures up to others’ writing. They also tell you what others like and don’t like.
So I put ten minutes into it, and came up with a reflection on the Thanksgiving we just had. No deep insights, no iambic pentameter. Just my random thoughts.
Like I said, I didn’t win. I thought my poem was better than most of the others. Obviously the judges didn’t agree. So that tells me they were looking for more emotion-driven poems, more deep feeling. Rhythm and meter not so important. Something to keep in mind for next time. Maybe I should have included a picture of my niece’s dog. Who could vote against that puppy?
Anyway, here’s my poem.
Enjoy!
Thanksgiving
Chop the onions,
Slice the yams.
Add some spices
To the pan.
Find the skewers,
Stuff the bird.
All to feed the
Hungry herd.
Grease the pie plate,
Roll the dough.
Watch the dog
Jump in the snow.
I ate too much.
My stomach moans.
Still gratitude reigns
In this, my home.