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2012-02-23 01:04:35
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Trochaic Poetry Contest

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Say this out loud: BUMpa. Notice how the first syllable is emphasized. That is one trochee. If you say, "Bumpa bumpa bumpa!" not only are you talking in trochees, but you have also created a fun beat! They're very fun to write in, once you get the swing of it. One famous trochaic poem is The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe (though I admit it's a rather dark example). Please note that a trochee is not the same as an iamb. Trochees go BUMpa, while iambs go baDUM. They're opposites.
Alright, so this is a contest of poems written in trochees. Yes, that's any sort of poem, as long as it's in trochees. I don't care if you rhyme or how many syllables you have, as long as they're trochees. If you're interested, please enter, and have fun!
~Contest maintained by [Linderel] (original contest idea by [Kiddalee])
Back to Writing Contests


Contest Rules:
1. Of course, your poem must be all your work.
2. Don't forget to sign your name at the bottom of your poem!
3. The poem must be predominantly made of trochees. One or two lines that break the rhythm for emphasis or some other reason is allowed, as long as most of your poem is trochaic. Also note that this is the only formatting rule.
4. The contest closes when there are 15 entries, and we'll choose the winner with a poll.
5. No more than two entries per person, please.
6. The winners and participants will all get nibs for their bios. Right now, the partially finished nibs are at Kidda's Elftownized Images. Go see them!
7. This one's only a guideline, but it would be great if you advertised this contest somewhere so we'll actually fill up and you'll have some competition.


The Entries:

Example (not a real entry)

Singin' scat is not something I do because I have no choice,
Nor particularly is it just so I can show my voice,
But, despite the way the world sucks, I have chosen to rejoice.

Written by [Kiddalee]


1.
True Bliss

Watch while skies all over cloud
Watch as Lightning Strikes
Watch the jagged Beauty
Race across the grey.
Watch the fright’ning Flames erupt
And watch them fade away,
Watch, for there’s no better sight
Than Lightning on a moonless night.


Written by [Seamus Schwathe]


2.<cold soul>
Your heart rest on my chest
deep down i feel it beating
i hold your hand but it feels so cold
look into your eyes as if staring into your soul
it's bleeding just like mine
lost forever

written by [sweet sacrifice]



3. A Trochaic Adventure With Sugar

White and bright the sugar glowed,
In a heap upon the road.
Glitter, glitter, crystals sweet,
Crystals of this lovely treat.

Traffic rushed across the lane, it
Made me do something insane.
Racing over pavement black,
I ran to the sugar stack.

I leaned down and took a bite,
Oh my gosh the sheer delight.
Screeching tires hurt my ear,
Braking cars were drawing near.

To the sidewalk I jumped back, while
Cars mowed down the sugar stack.
Sighing, sad, I ran away, my
Thoughts on sugar the whole day.

Don’t do stupid things like me,
Even if the sugar’s free.
You’ll live longer, safer too,
Trust me, what I say is true.

[DeadSockMonster]



4. Seasong

Seasong, seasong, in my ear
Waves upon the shore so near

Blue-green sea, so bold and wild,
Roaring sea, so freely riled,
Glitter on, flitter on, from shore to shore
Tell me stories, sailor’s lore...

Splash on, roar on, beat the shore, with
Waves with sparkles at their core.
Chase my feet with bright-light foam
Up the shore your waves will roam.

Sing on, glow on, tell me tales, of
Pirate ships and great blue whales,
Siren songs, billowing sails,
Great sea slugs and maybe snails...

Squid and eels and turtles green
Deep dark kraken ever mean
Sharks and clams and oyster pearls
Half-fish mermen and mer-girls

Rip on, chant on, sing me crazy
Full of songs of fish so lazy
Silly head atop my neck
Wants to see Titanic’s wreck

Sea sunsets, the pretty things,
Seagull birds with white-smoke wings,
Seashells, crabs, and soothing sands
Make me love your rocky lands.

Sweet soft sand, remember me,
Silky grains tossed by the sea.
Whispering waves, don’t forget
I’ll come sail a great ship yet

Blowing softly, salty wind
Sings of fish so cutely finned.
See yah, sea yah, great blue sea
Off to bed I now should flee...


[DeadSockMonster]


5.
Slowly, gently came the night
And with the dying of the light
Hues of verdant blue to red,
Then orange, purple in their own stead,
Until the inky shades of sable,
Unfurl with diamond pinpricks white

And in the dying of the day,
Hectic labors fade away,
The harsh cacophony of haste,
Slows itself to gentler pace,
Only the silent watchers white,
Remain to make their languid circuit.

The way prepared, their Lord arrises,
Silently regal, magestic his guises,
Ever brilliant, his changing face,
Unfaltering in stately grace,
And from his perch among the stars,
Serenely rules his shadowed realm.

Until the graying creep of dawn.

by [dmeredith]


6. A Stroll

I was walking down the street when
Suddenly I saw a huggy bunny!
So I stoop'd to pick it up and hug it,
When I did it leapt and bit my nose off!
Then I knew I hadn't entered bunny bliss (no!),
Rather I had entered bunny hell (AH!)!
All around me bunnies started closing in and
One by one their little eyes shined evil!
Lost and scared, I knew not what to do, but
Then a person bounded down to me and
Swung his fearsome fists around and round 'till
All the bunnies lay in heaps of flowers
Sleeping lovely snoring creatures,
Now I must be here - in bunny heaven!

by [Annie T.]



7.

The sky is clear and clouds are gone
someday it'll be the same again
I never thought this day would come
The tears I cried were not in vain

Roads are long and take you far
All of them might not be yours
Confused by signs I see you are
Different ships to different shores

Most important is maybe not
which way you choose to go
But that for every step you take
Learn from places you come to

by [Easterling]



8. Ethereal

Defer to rejoice upon the refuse of war.
Riots occur daily during storms of wind and rain.
Throughout and within, they rage like a tempest.
They cry no longer in sorrow, but in delight.
Weary as they have become, their work remains unfeigned.
Peace now roams inside the halls of the lurid and obscure.
No longer bleak, is the pathway unto accord.

By [Deus Ex Taco]


9. Finality
Finally, you have arrived,
I must say I have tried.
Now we must commence,
In the ritual of life.
Fear all for you demise is close,
But fear no remorse,
For it only gets worse.
Soon you will understand,
What it's about.
Your finality.

By [Jayy Will Murder]


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Username (or number or email):

Password:

2006-01-31 [kittykittykitty]: Ooooh -_- Okies, so my poem is an iamb? I'll try to write a trochee... though it might not be very good

2006-02-01 [Kiddalee]: YaY! Thanks.

2006-02-02 [Lady of Lore]: I'm still not quite sure what makes a poem a trochee, could you explain it a bit more, please?

2006-02-03 [Kiddalee]: A trochee isn't a type of poem. It's a type of rhythm. The first syllable of every line is emphasized, and every second one from there on. That's why it goes, BUMpa BUMpa BUMpa. Words like WARNing and USerNAMES are good examples. Or a phrase like the ones in the example: NOR parTICuLARly IS it JUST so I can SHOW my VOICE. (Now that I think of it, the first line of my example could use a little work, eh?)

2006-02-13 [Kiddalee]: YaY for [Seamus Schwathe]! An entry! (Oh, by the way, I think you misspelled watch in the sixth line.)

2006-02-14 [Seamus Schwathe]: EEP! *fixes* Thanks for telling me.

2006-02-15 [Kiddalee]: You're welcome. Now go! Tell everyone about this contest! Make your friends enter so you won't be all alone!

2006-02-16 [kittykittykitty]: Oooh I like your poem [Seamus Schwathe]... still working on something, but I can't get out of writing in iambs ^_^'

2006-02-17 [Seamus Schwathe]: Thank you!

2006-02-18 [Kiddalee]: Thanks for helping out the contest, [kittykittykitty] (yes, entering is helping out).

2006-02-22 [Miss Sunshine]: How do I enter a poem

2006-02-23 [Kiddalee]: How To Enter A Poem: Step 1: Write a poem that fits the specs for this contest. Step 2: Come to this wiki-page. Step 3: Push "Edit this page". Step 4: Type your poem in the next spot available. Make sure its title is above the poem in bold, and your name is underneath the poem.

2006-02-24 [ArchRose]: throchee, is that the same as blank verse poetry, like shakespear used?

2006-02-24 [Kiddalee]: Well, there's no rhyme required in this contest, but Shakespeare used iambs, which are the opposite of trochees. Iambs go "baDUM baDUM baDUM..." and trochees go "BUMpa BUMpa BUMpa". So iambs emphasize every second syllable, and trochees are similar, but emphasis starts with the first syllable of the line.

2006-03-03 [Kiddalee]: YaY! Another entry!

2006-03-07 [DeadSockMonster]: Lol, while I was writing my first entry, I was worried that the contest might be full. I'll start spreading the news to some of my friends, hope it helps!

2006-03-11 [Kiddalee]: Wheee! Now I guess I'd better get those durmed nibs done.

2006-09-08 [Kiddalee]: ***claps for the new entry*

2006-09-15 [DeadSockMonster]: *clap clap clap* LIFE!!! I watch this wiki, only rarely does it change...ooh, that sounds like a nice opening line for a poem...

2006-11-15 [dmeredith]: I noticed that the first comment on this contest was almost a year ago. Have you thought about reducing the number of contestants to 10?

2007-05-05 [Annie T.]: Hey Kidda! Sad that this contest has been going on so long...Anyway, I'm Annie from WC and I've come to enter your contest! Well, actually that's not the only reason and it doesn't look like it will really do much good but...here I am!

2007-05-06 [Seamus Schwathe]: Awesome poem, Annie. ^_^

2007-05-06 [Annie T.]: Why thank ye! :)

2007-07-26 [Kiddalee]: Hello. I'm here again. Hmm... [dmeredith], I was just thinking of that when I read your suggestion. I suppose 10 is a better number, considering.

2009-04-26 [Linderel]: With permission from [Kiddalee], I am taking over this contest (and hope to see it finished before the summer is over... :P)

2009-04-27 [Chimes]: *stalk*

2009-04-27 [ReineBloodwolf]: hi

2009-08-06 [Linderel]: You can't really participate if you don't include your username...

2009-08-06 [Jayy Will Murder]: well shit...that sucks...

2009-08-06 [Jayy Will Murder]: i guess i can just remove it.

2009-08-06 [Jayy Will Murder]: and shit i gave myself away >.<

2009-08-06 [Linderel]: Yeah, well, I already saw your username in the wiki info box on the right hand side.

2009-08-06 [Jayy Will Murder]: hmm...underminded by elftown itself...

2009-08-06 [Jayy Will Murder]: better?

2009-08-06 [Linderel]: Yeah, thanks.

2009-08-06 [Jayy Will Murder]: welcome...i think it sucks though thats why i did it that way...quite stupid actually...i made myself look idiotic

2009-08-06 [Linderel]: Then write a better one! :)

2009-08-06 [Jayy Will Murder]: i know...but my inspiration is low...even my dreams don't work...your opinion...whats it like

2009-08-06 [Linderel]: I'll take a look when I'm actually awake (past midnight here).

2010-01-08 [Deus Ex Taco]: This is still going on? >.>

2010-01-08 [Linderel]: Ayup.

2010-01-09 [Deus Ex Taco]: Well we just need five more entries :D

Which will translate into about...Another ten years time? lol

2010-08-15 [Kiddalee]: Guess that means nobody missed me :P.

2010-08-15 [Linderel]: Plus contest participation is really low on all sides. <_<

2010-08-15 [Kiddalee]: By all sides, do you mean all contests in Elftown?

2010-08-15 [Linderel]: Most of them, yeah.

2010-08-16 [Kiddalee]: Wait a second... Did I give management of this contest to you? If so, good job taking care of it all these years. If not, you can have it... And do whatever you want that doesn't affect existing entries.

2010-08-16 [Linderel]: You did xD I think I e-mailed you about it. *checks* Yeah, April last year.

2010-08-17 [Kiddalee]: I suggest you change the entries cap to ten. XD

2010-08-25 [Deus Ex Taco]: I second that motion lol

2010-08-25 [Linderel]: Might indeed be the most reasonable thing to do.

2013-07-10 [Kiddalee]: I s'pose since I'm not managing anymore I could be the tenth entry...

2013-07-11 [Deus Ex Taco]: ...I forgot this even existed haha.

2013-07-11 [Linderel]: Yeah, that happens.

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Older comments: (Last 200) 2 1 .0.

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