Colleen’s Weekly #Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge #62: Bells & Past (#SynonymsOnly)

WELCOME TO TANKA TUESDAY!

Hi! I’m glad to see you here. Are you ready to write some poetry? HERE’S THE CATCH: You can’t use the prompt words! You MUST use a synonym for each of the two words! I hope you will support each other with visits to blogs and by leaving comments. Sharing each other’s work on social media is always nice too. ❤

Please note: We are all students of poetry. I have given you the instructions on how to write the different forms. Try your best to be as exact as you can. There are no tests, and I don’t grade your work. LOL!

The most meaningful change you will learn about is in writing a Haiku vs. a Senryu. Also, remember, pronunciation in various parts of the world will affect your syllable count. Go with your gut on deciding the syllable count. You are the poet and the creator of your work.

The main idea behind my sponsoring of this challenge is to help everyone learn how to write various forms of poetry. Remember, if you are sending your poetry for publication in literary journals, contests, or self-publishing, you should know the correct forms and use them. Check the rules by clicking on the links below. ❤

For Colleen’s Weekly Poetry Challenge, you can write your poem in one of the forms defined below. Click on the link to learn about each type:

HAIKU IN ENGLISH 5/7/5 syllable structure. A Haiku is written about seasonal changes, nature, and change in general.

TANKA IN ENGLISH 5/7/5/7/7 syllable structure. Your Tanka will consist of five lines written in the first-person point of view. This is important because the poem should be written from the perspective of the poet.

HAIBUN IN ENGLISH Every Haibun must begin with a title. Haibun prose is composed of short, descriptive paragraphs, written in the first person singular.

The text unfolds in the present moment, as though the experience is occurring now rather than yesterday or some time ago. In keeping with the simplicity of the accompanying haiku or tanka poem, all unnecessary words should be pared down or removed. Nothing must ever be overstated.

The poetry never tries to repeat, quote, or explain the prose. Instead, the poetry reflects some aspect of the prose by introducing a different step in the narrative through a microburst of detail. Thus, the poetry is a sort of juxtaposition – different yet somehow connected.

Cinquain

Senryu in English 5/7/5 syllable structure. A Senryu is written about love, a personal event, and have some sort of irony present.

Image credit: Pinterest.com

(Currently, free-verse prose poems are NOT part of this challenge)

Here are some great sites that will help you write your poetry and count syllables.

thesaurus.com

For Synonyms and Antonyms. When your word has too many syllables, find one that works.

howmanysyllables.com

Find out how many syllables each word has. I use this site for all my Haiku and Tanka poems. Click on the “Workshop” tab to create your Haiku or Tanka.

THE RULES

I will publish the Tuesday prompt post at 12: 03 A.M. Mountain Standard Time (Denver Time).  That should give everyone time to see the prompt from around the world.

WRITE YOUR POEM ON YOUR BLOG as a post.

How Long Do You Have and Your Deadline: You have a week to complete the Challenge with a deadline of Monday at 12:00 P.M. (Noon) Denver time, U. S. A. This will give me a chance to add the links from everyone’s poem post from the previous week, on the new prompt I send out on Tuesday. I urge everyone to visit the blogs and comment on everyone’s poem.

The rules are simple.

I will give you two words. Choose synonyms from those words for your poetry. I’ve done this because it allows you to have more control over the direction of your poetry. Follow the rules carefully. Don’t use the prompt words.

LINK YOUR BLOG POST TO MINE WITH A PINGBACK. To do a Pingback: Copy the URL (the HTTPS:// address of my post) for the current week’s Challenge and paste it into your post. You may also place a copy of your URL of your post in the comments of the current week’s Challenge post.

Because of the time difference between where you are, and I am, you might not think your link is there. I manually approve all links. People taking part in the challenge may visit you and comment or “like” your post. I also need at least a Pingback or a link in the comments section to know you took part and to include you in the Weekly Review section of the new prompt on Tuesday.

BE CREATIVE. Use your photos and create “Visual POETRY” if you wish, although it is not necessary. Use whatever program you want to make your images.

As time allows, I will visit your blog, comment, and TWEET your POETRY

If you add these hashtags to your post TITLE (depending on which poetry form you use) your poetry may be viewed more often:

#Haiku, #Tanka, #micropoetry, #poetry, #5lines, #Haibun, #Prose #Senryu, #CinquainPoetry

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR TWITTER ACCOUNT LINKED TO YOUR BLOG – I WILL NO LONGER TWEET YOUR POETRY… THERE IS NO SENSE SINCE YOUR TWEET BECOMES PART OF WORDPRESS.COM AND THERE IS NO ATTRIBUTION BACK TO YOU.

You may copy the badge I have created to go with the Weekly Poetry Challenge Post and place it in your post. It’s not mandatory:

HERE’S WHO JOINED US LAST WEEK FOR OUR 61st POETRY CHALLENGE USING THE WORDS – STARK & TRAP

Perception – Reena Saxena

Tanka: Stark & Trap – Jane Dougherty Writes

Colleen’s Weekly Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge – Bobfairfield.org

Trapped – #Tanka #Haibun | Trent’s World (the Blog)

Colleen’s Weekly Poetry Challenge 61 – The Bag Lady

Inevitable – Playing with words

Colleen’s Weekly #Poetry Tuesday #Haiku #Senryu #MicroPoetry – STARK & TRAP | But I Smile Anyway…

Colleen’s Weekly Poetry Challenge Trap & Stark | Annette Rochelle Aben

Tanka:: Freedom – tea & paper

#Tanka Tuesday (12/5/17)…a feast of sight and sound for bare and ensnaring landscapes #haiku #poetry – Frank J. Tassone

The Web | like mercury colliding…

Red Rain (Part 2) | method two madness

Twilight – By Sarah

Fear… | Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo

Skeleton Trees: Tanka Tuesday | Yesterday and today: Merril’s historical musings

Tanka: Fear – My Feelings My Freedom

“Mother Nature’s Con,” A #Haiku | Colleen Chesebro The Fairy Whisperer

The Whirlpool – A Tanka | thoughts and entanglements

Darkness Within | Stuff and what if…

Tanka – Stark & Trap | radhikasreflection

#Haiku: Deer | Charmed Chaos

Stark and Trap #Tanka – My pen

Stark and Trap: Colleen’s weekly poetry prompt #61 – Lane Burke – poet, traveller, person of letters

Futile – Cinquain Poem | awisewomansjourney

Birdsong – Smell the Coffee

Don’t FORGET! If you are selected as my Poet of the Week, I will feature your poem in my bi-monthly newsletter.

Sign-up HERE.

This week’s Poet of the Week is Method Two Madness. Her Haibun/Haiku poem called, Red Rain, Part Two proved to be a magical read for me this week. Read the Haiku portion of her poem. The imagery is perfect and conveys an apocalyptic tone that I found mystical and alluring. My favorite line is: “It pulls everything into its sharp black hole with the crunch of a siren song.”

To be blunt: the sky has collapsed, assaulting all arrangements with raging teeth of fire. And that path?  It pulls everything into its sharp black hole with the crunch of a siren song.

Stones rising, ancient,
like trees burnt under spellfires–
rain falling, abyssed.

©2017 Method Two Madness

Here are the two words for this week’s challenge: BELLS & PAST

(Don’t forget to use synonyms)

IT’S POETRY TUESDAY! JOIN IN AND GET YOUR POETRY ON!

Published by Colleen M. Chesebro

An avid reader, Colleen M. Chesebro rekindled her love of writing poetry after years spent working in the accounting industry. These days, she loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. In addition to poetry books, Chesebro’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of her writing community on Word Craft Poetry.com by organizing and sponsoring a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, where participants experiment with traditional and current forms of Japanese and American syllabic poetry. Chesebro is an assistant editor of The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology & Gitty Up Press, a micro-press founded by Charli Mills and Carrot Ranch. In January 2022, Colleen founded Unicorn Cats Publishing Services to assist poets and authors in creating eBooks and print books for publication. In addition, she creates affordable book covers for Kindle and print books. Chesebro lives in the house of her dreams in mid-Michigan surrounded by the Great Lakes with her husband and two (unicorn) cats, Chloe & Sophie.

49 thoughts on “Colleen’s Weekly #Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge #62: Bells & Past (#SynonymsOnly)

    1. LOL! That’s great. Go with the flow, Jane. I bet it would be an amazing poem! ❤

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    1. Just a bit of fun. I LOVE tea and imagine drinking a cup with you all around a table while we share our poetry. 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes. I started asking for synonyms as of the beginning of November. If you only use the prompt words everyone’s poetry is the same. A synonym allows you the opportunity to change the tone of your poetry. I’m glad you had fun. I am surprised at how fabulous the poems are. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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