TANKA TUESDAY POETRY CHALLENGE STARS | Theme Prompt: Dreams

Posted byColleen M. ChesebroPosted inPrior Years Poetry StarsTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Welcome to our weekly poetry stars celebration. This week’s challenge was to write about the theme of “dreams,” using one of these forms: Haiku, Senryu, Haiga, Tanka, Gogyohka, Haibun, Tanka Prose, Renga, Solo-Renga, Cinquain, and its variations, Etheree, Nonet, Shadorma, Badger Hexastich (hexastich for short), and Abhanga.

Remember… the first of the month you can write any syllabic poetry form of your choice. The rest of the time, we write our syllabic poetry in one of the forms listed, and we follow a schedule (posted below). I do this for a couple of reasons. It requires those of you who would like to enter contests or to submit your poetry to literary journals to learn how to follow their rules. This challenge gives you that practice. Besides, why enter a challenge if you don’t follow the rules? That’s the challenge part. ❤

ALSO: Make sure you are grabbing the URL of your “published” post when you link back to the challenge and in Mr. Linky. If you need extra help with these features, let me know and I will help you. ❤

Many thanks to everyone who joined in below:

1.Trent McDonald10.Zander19.Donna Matthews
2.Padre11.Dave Madden20.kittysverses
3.Eugenia12.Gwen Plano21.Vashti Quiroz- Vega
4.Annette Rochelle Aben13.Erlyn Olivia22.Ruth Scribbles
5.Jules14.s. s.23.M J Mallon
6.Ritu Bhathal15.Anita Dawes24.Sally Cronin
7.willowdot2116.theindieshe25.Merril D. Smith
8.Cheryl17.Balroop Singh26.Kerfe Roig
9.D. L. Finn18.Heather Kelley27.Colleen M. Chesebro

Congratulations everyone! The poems this week were astounding! I have to share a few highlights because we all learn technique and style from each other:

Trent McDonald: Read his poem and follow the link to the discussion of his dream. There is some really strange stuff going on here! Definitely worth a read!

Zander: Notice how he writes his tanka by separating the two seven-syllable lines from the 5/7/5 portion. This effect produces a pleasing visual on the page. Many modern poets write their tanka in this form. I like it!

Willow: She took up the challenge to write a Diatelle. This poem shows how effective a rhyming scheme can be.

In the end, I went with Merril D. Smith’s Badger Hexastich, “The Dream.” This is a delightful poem. Notice how she put herself inside the painting as if she was part of the dream. Writing poetry is a form of communication and connection. When you share bits of yourself with your readers, your poetry becomes personal to the reader. ❤

This week, I’ve asked Merril D. Smith to choose the prompt for next month’s challenge. Please email your words to me at least a week before the challenge to tankatuesdaypoetry@gmail.com. Thanks.

Christian Krohg, “Tired” captured from Merril D. Smith blog

The Dream, #BadgerHexastitch

almost
familiar, this
place, my house, but not—see
the walls dissolve, and I
am someone else
watching

watching
myself, I am
within, without—I am
fixed and infinite, I
am everything
I know.

©2021 Merril D. Smith

See you tomorrow for another Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge!

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.

23 thoughts on “TANKA TUESDAY POETRY CHALLENGE STARS | Theme Prompt: Dreams”

  2. Congratulations to all! Thank you, Colleen. I wrote the poem thinking about my own dreams, and then I found the image (found on Wikipedia Commons). I’m fascinated by dreams and dreaming. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Congratulations to Merril–it’s a wonderful poem and a great example of the form. Everyone had something interesting to tell us about dreams. (K)

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Congrats to the winner/winners and hello to you all. I’m Selma Martin and following this blog now. I’ve been floundering at this blogging thing for something like 2 or 3 years now. I want that to change. On the Reader I’ve been following bloggers and learning how to earn my keep. Through LauraElizaHayne’s post, I came to hear about this amazing place. I hope to participate.
    I blog at https://selmamartin.com (I tell you this as sometimes, don’t know why, WordPress sends you to my private site where you need permission to be let in. I want to save you that trouble).
    So, as I understand it the theme for March is Dreams and the form changes as the weeks progress. Got it. And I gotta let Mr. Linky know when I Publish and also include a link to wordcraftpoetry.com. Got ya’. Do correct me if I stumble. Thanks, All. Thanks, Colleen. Looking forward to engaging with you all in this wonderful community. Thanks.

    Like

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