The 7 Day Contest: Day 6

Below are the challenges submitted by our own clubs, some diverse and interesting ones amongst them! The challenges are below, clubs take note of which challenge you are facing.

For this challenge, you will have 2 days to complete it, due to the fact that the final challenge may be happening during tomorrow and Monday also. So the deadline will be 18.00pm PnQ on Monday, 11th February.

Any questions about your challenge, ask me :)

Club 1 - Challenge F
Club 2 - Challenge E
Club 3 - Challenge D
Club 4 - Challenge C
Club 5- Challenge A
Club 6 - Challenge B
Club 7 - Challenge G

*****

CHALLENGE A:

Use the picture, the song and the quote as inspiration to write four Dark poems in total... one with less than 20 lines, another with less than 15 lines, another with 100 words and last one with 80 words. The four poems should be based on the picture, song, and quote, but of course each poem should be written with a different idea. ;)
Enjoy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/-collage-/2274568952/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzF7mTRrrnQ

"Believe only half of what you see and nothing that you hear."
by Edgar Allan Poe

----------

Challenge B
Rap Battle:

Rap Music is very popular today. Rap is the art of creating rhyming speeches in the form of chant.

Rap Challenge - Create a poem that is a 'rap'. Each 'rap' poem must be inspired by ONE of the following rap songs:

1- Can't Tell Me Nothing - Kanye West
2- Changes - Tupac
3- Best I Ever Had - Drake
4- Drop the World - Lil Wayne feat. Eminem
5- Freedom - Nicki Minaj
6- Love is Blind - Eve
7- Juicy - Notorious BIG (Biggie Smalls)
8- Pirates - Rick Ross

Each participant must choose one rap song to be inspired from. Even though this is a rap, please don't use explicit language. The total number of poems should be 4.

Also - in relation to the explicit words in your song choice (you know which words I'm talking about) you have to use an appropriate word that still portrays that negative word in some way (ex: the song 'Forget You' by Ceelo Green is a clean version of his other song. He used the word 'forget' to replace the other word.) Please make sure to include such a word or phrase at least ONCE in your poem.

Lastly - please follow rap cadence. Rap has a specific rhythm so try to follow that. Since it's a rap, there has to be rhymes, so the rhyme scheme will be AABB.

This can help with the rhythm:
http://platinumloops.com/how_to_rap_cadence_and_rhythm.shtml

----------
Challenge C:
- A poem about an FOP member (please note that Colm is a member of FOP too)
- No more than one poem about the same member
- Must include their screen name or given name in the poem
- Line limit of 25 lines
- Incorporate at least 5 from the word prompts

- Word Prompts:

1. photogenic
2. fop [word meaning: A man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance)
3. dungeon
4. royalty
5. asylum
6. poesy
7. coalesced
8. congenial
9. savvy
10. allure
11. complex
12. identity
13. pluralist
14. wonder
15. resplendent
16. cupcake
17. harbinger
18. parasol
19. soundtracked
20. encompass
21. allure
22. complex
23. identity
24. pluralist
25. wonder
26. Resplendent

------------------

Challenge D
Eleanor roosevelt
William Shkespeare
Oprah Winfrey
Albert Einstein
Florence Nightingale
Neil Armstrong
Beethoven
Walt Disney

Quote 1-Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Quote 2-People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Quote 3-No one can make you feel inferior without your consent

Quote 4- It is only those who never do anything who never make mistakes

Quote 5-You must be the change you wish to see in the world

Quote 6-Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't."

Quote 7-All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them

Quote 8-We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.

Quote 9-If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

Quote 10-Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.

Quote 11- If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

Challenge:

Write a poem about one of the people listed, but you must include TWO of the quotes somewhere throughout your poem.

Additional rules/restrictions

1-Your quotes do not have to have been stated by the person you choose to write about.

2- Must be between 25-30 lines.

3- The words "myself/mine/us/so/to/too" are NOT allowed in your poem.

----------------------
Challenge E

To write a selection of couplets... 4 to be precise...

Choosing from these 7 prompts:

1) A forgotten memory
2) Mid rhyme and end rhymes...
3) 6 syllables each line
4) A romantic piece for valentines
5) About a child
6) Alliteration
7) Based on a novel...

Only 1 piece per prompt...

The couplets must make the judges stand and take notice...they must be powerful...and creative but not overly adjective.

Simplicity and Power is the key.
P.S example of middle and end rhyme: "I walk down the street looking at the moonlight,
carrying my heavy feet through the dark night." rhyme in the middle and at the end.
--------------------------
Challenge F

2 Forms in the one poem.

1 haiku/senryu per club.

so out of four poems only 1 can be the haiku or senryu. I will allow two acrostics as it is the easiest way to combine a form.

All four poems have to be different,

so 4 poems, max two acrostics and 1 haiku or senryu (not both)

so clubs would need to mix in 5 other forms to make 4 poems.

(2 acrostics + 1 haiku/senryu + 5 = 8 forms)

-------------------------
Challenge G

You are going to write a poem about a poem. Specifically, one of these famous 25 poems.

http://www.poemhunter.com/p/m/l.asp?p=1&l=Top500

It can be about your reaction to reading the poem, a poetry reading, being the writer when writing it etc. So long as the subject/topic is about the poem itself.

Between 16 and 26 lines long.
Can use the word 'I' only once per poem.
Each line has to have 8-12 syllables.

One poem per club this time, is it?

I think is 4 . .

This is going to be fun!

Yes, 4 poems from each club :)

Colm, isn't there going to be a marathon sometime today? I'm a bit confused about that.

"Sunday's challenge (Day 7) will be a throwback to the Golden Era that was Abby's Marathon contest! Each club will have one hour to submit as many poems as possible based on word prompts (given approx 30mins before the start of each hour) I'm thinking provisionally that scoring will be 50pts for volume of poems (1 point for each poem) and the remaining 50pts for overall average quality of the poems.

What I want to know is, what times will best suit each club. I know with timezones, life commitments etc. people mightn't be available all at one time so I'm giving clubs some notice to pick one of three times that will suit them best to do their challenge.

Option 1: Sunday 10th, 7.00-8.00am PnQ time
Option 2: Sunday 10th, 15.00-16.00pm PnQ time
Option 3: Monday 11th, 14.30-15.30pm PnQ time"

I think each club had to pm an option to Colm. Option one starts in 2 hours (though some information/word prompts should pop up in 1 hour and 30 min). For the rest, I really have no idea how this is going to work but I thought I'd answer you first since option 1 is starting soon. =p

Thanks Luna :)

The options for the times have changed slightly, Monday's time has now changed to 19.00-20.00, and an additional hour slot has been given for 19.00-20.00 today (Sunday). The thread about it is posted since

Don't forget about this everybody! Due in 5 hours or so

Hey Colm, are there any rules for this challenge that we have to have equal number of members participating?

CLUB 1 - Challenge F

#501
Calypso
Doditsu/Rictameter

Dashing grace of elegance,
lost nymph from Ogygia,
wishing her love, immortal
seduces his heart.

True love,
losing his soul
becoming a shadow
in the depths of madness, mating
Calypso vows in anger, he is hers
betrothed eyes for another soul
devotion is for one,
Penelope,
true love.

------------------------------
#502
Devil's Playground
Senryu/Acrostic

Devil at my door,
Fire roaring relentlessly
Torment forever

Warring crowds in a rush,
Everyone told to hush,
Legions gather around,
Cold-hearted imps make no sound,
Only a few demons can be this cruel,
Monsters, zombies, ghouls,
Entertaining as it may be,
Tight ropes and torture is all they want to see,
Ovations in order and roses on the ground,
Heavenly Father no where to be found,
Equally surprising is the stage set to fire,
Lasting an eternity, burning with desire,
Live forever in the Devil's Playground.

------------------------------------
#503
Following Me
Nonet/Acrostic

Floating upon cascading air waves,
omnipresent thoughts shall dangle,
leaving death untouchable.
Lingering beneath trees,
over rivers wide,
winds blowing in.
Igniting,
no man's
grave.

Many a dark night trembles,
emptiness slips us underground.

-------------------------------------
#504
Hidden Heartache
Etheree/Tanka

Tears
falling
gently down
my rosy cheeks
towards quivering
lips. Resisting the urge
to release my emotions
and let you witness the damage
done to my fragile heart when you left,
walking away without once looking back.

My heart whispering
in hope of another chance
to receive your love.
But I will not allow you
to know what you meant to me.

************************************

CLUB 2 - Challenge E

#511
Son

in ever growing circles
you took flights from the nest.

It seems an eternity ago
those days, when mama knew best.

You have outgrown us, son
your horizon expanding rapidly.

While we applaud you in the wings
as you take in life's lessons so eagerly.

Once, we were both dreamers
as we played barefoot in the park.

I always told you that there are no limits
unless you think there are, so make your mark.

All odds were against you in those days
but you never tired of trying, and stronger you grew.

Now you have a title next to your name
and your life is full of promise, each day anew.

-----------------------------------
#512
The forgotten memory....

My diary asks 'what happened today?'
and I have a thought to share.

Today I was at a cafe
and a scene captured my eye.

I saw two friends spending some great time
and making a memory of lifetime.

It brought back a beautiful thought
which I somewhere wanted to forget.

I remembered my best friend-
my source of sharing, caring and inspiration.

Also I remember that unfortunate day
which haunted me for long.

The day when my friend lay cold and lifeless
waiting to leave for heaven's abode.

It was like a memory I wanted to forget
and with time, I moved on.

So a thought of my friend hurts me
as that sad day is what drives in.

I wish she could come in my dream
and say 'I'm always with you'.

This would let me erase that sad memory
and make me live a happy life.

-------------------------------------
#513
Young Love [Early Heartbreak]

Your name I used to whittle into a dark piece of wood.
My love for you has never been little but it's never been good.

Loving you was my biggest sin yet I couldn't resist your touch.
Every part of me ached within. I fell and you became a crutch.

I didn't care a bit about their thoughts, I loved you and you loved me.
For our love to make it that far I fought hard and had to believe.

With time came a lot of pain and then we slowly strayed,
Left under clouds of rain and a broken heart which with you only played.

---------------------------------------
#514
Being 50 (based on Novel, 50 things to do when you turn 50)

So I made it to 50 though 'tums' a bit fat
I look in the mirror, am I really like that?

Lines on my face and a second spare chin
Half of my teeth are extras put in!

My mind has half gone (well I'd think if I could)
Seems half of its left me, or turned to wood

The hairs on my head have just 'upped'
and just gone
Wish there was a way to stick them back on!

Touches of grey for those left behind
Though wifey says that she doesn't mind!

I'll take out the car on a sunny day
Just on case 'the ole legs' give way!

Things seem an effort. I'm now past my best
Suppose I'll grow old and look like the rest!

But one thing that time can never erase
Inside I'll stay young for the rest of my days!

*****************************

CLUB 3 - Challenge D

** Please note that the word "to" in the following poems is from the quote itself, as opposed to:

Additional rules/restrictions No 3.

3- The words "myself/mine/us/so/to/too" are NOT allowed in your poem.

***
#521
Shakespeare Remembered

You must be the change you wish to see in the world
This strength found in others, when they have none
Bravery, stepping outside yourself, social norms
Head strong determination, a true benefit and downfall

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are
So many things empty because we are empty
We paint canvas, ink paper, searching
Stand on stage and bare every soul watching, listening

Maybe they will remember, this inattentive world
If you leave enough mystery, pain and grandeur
Wrapped in sweet soliloquies, where truth and fiction are one
Where people see the worst and the best in themselves

Make them laugh, cry, perhaps even think
Most of all make them feel, contempt, love, admiration
It doesn't matter, as long as they're not indifferent
You keep them alive, you alive

They may love you for a sonnet
Yet hate you for the truth they find on a stage
But they feel and they remember
And that is art in many forms, in all forms,
For life is art and art is life

Oh Romeo, Romeo, et tu Brute
Fair is foul and foul is fair
You were my first taste of art in ink
Resting forever on my pallet

--

Quote 5-You must be the change you wish to see in the world
Quote 8-We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.

-----------------------------------------
#522
Finding Love (in Disney)

Dearest Disney,

Were you ever loved, as a child?
Did you find church bells echoing
as your ear leaned against
the walls of a train,
or was its final destination
build in the vision
of a church steeple?

You must've known all the secret
corners of the heart
where mice reside -
carefully scooped them up
with little-boy hands,
and put them in the pockets
of your big-boy pants, knowing
that all our dreams can come true -
if we have the courage to pursue them.

For Mickey Mouse did peek
from the corners of your childhood,
followed by marching dwarfs
lined up like the chain of trains
you found love in.

If life is not measured by the number
of breaths we take, but by the moments
that take our breath away, then you
must be living for decades,
in the dreams of schoolgirl-hearts.

For you take my breath away,
even two decades later.

--

Quote 1-Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Quote 7-All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them.

----------------------------------------------
#523
Admiring Armstrong

No mountain that's high
and space, impenetrable
for a farmer, an astronaut
and a common folk alike.

Spontaneous
like the meteors,
like a stream of fragments
crossing the black void,
all that he was,
and more.

Never the kind that will panic
be it a giant black ball
as dark as coal,
or a mission going
down in flames.

People who say
it cannot be done,
should not interrupt
those who are doing it;
nor abhor and detest,
nor stigmatize the future as -
never was.

All our dreams can come true -
if we have the courage
to pursue them,
and a mind that
does not falter
in times of danger,
nor at the hour
of our death.

--

Quote 2-People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Quote 7-All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them

-----------------------------------------
#524
Beethoven's Ninth Secret

I never did understand how a man,
desperate in deafness,
could rise from the ashes
of losing the only thing
that kept him sane. But he is not void of sound,
he is not an empty decaying carcass; he is
filled bitterly
with the hope and the glory of defying the
impossible. People who say it cannot be done
should not interrupt those who are doing it.
You don't need sound. You know how it feels.

Even if you can't hear it,
you can see it, you can sense it, you can feel it
shatter your bones, feel it kick start your heart.

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes
to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his
heart. But if you talk to him in the only universal language,
the sounds of triumphant motif, that fills his body and
sends his soul into light.

But ghosts can haunt anything - attics,
empty chairs, half filled beds, or
the concert halls

And that is the Ninth secret - the ode of joy
came from learning of rising from the ashes.
Find a new way of hoping. Find a new way of
dreaming. Find a new way
of living, of rising and moving into light.

--

Quote 2-People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Quote 11- If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

**************************************

CLUB 4 - Challenge C

#531
The Princess

Far be it from me to escape the strong allure
of the wonder of a resplendent royalty.
Her intellect is savvy though her heart is pure
A kingdom tried to encompass her loyalty.
Egyptians should recognize her right of asylum,
as well as the networks she has enlightened,
when she wrote things about a social pendulum.
With her poesy charm a dictator should be frightened.

A princess often blessed by a divinity
can lead pluralist masses to the "Promised Land"
regardless of proper female identity,
any creed may be coalesced to understand.
Her wonder stands, not to mention photogenic
for inner beauty is quite deeper than fair flesh
I have come to admire her style as authentic.
I hope my sunshine never thinks I am too fresh

---------------------------------------------
#532
Bountiful Lady (Beautiful Chaos)

You would descend into the depths
to save the child within, however dank
the dungeon of your mind presents itself
for the allure of ameliorating cruel life
draws you to heal as well as reform.

Those children who seek succor from pain
find asylum within your enfolding arms
though their situation may be complex;
it is no wonder that we come to realize
how Beautiful Chaos may sometimes be.

Prompts: dungeon; asylum; allure; complex; wonder.

-----------------------------------------------
#533
Kiko

Kiko, such a man of royalty
alluring glory through potential
that soars within his poetic
complex identity.

Alone, wandering with
his thoughts that rebuild
the world his own way,
lost in wonder,
in ideas and words that
could fill the entire space,
trying to redraw this life
into a much better, peaceful place.

Words: complex, identity, wonder, royalty, allure.

---------------------------------------------
#534
The Huntress

She is the Lioness, the Huntress
whose job is protect her family.
She takes pride in her allure,
and lives by her own rules.

She follows her instincts even
though they may mislead her.
Never lost in a trail, she explores
the complex Sahara desert.

She created a shade for her Pride
just like a parasol used against the sun.
Resplendent and savvy, the other lions
were always captivated by her.

A natural tracker, the Huntress
preys and brings dinner to her Pride,
while her husband stays home
and watches the innocent cubs.

She is more than a Lioness and Huntress,
she is a fighter, a lover, a mother, a hero.
A brave and inspiring individual
who I aspire to be.

Words: allure, complex, parasol, resplendent, savvy

Note from author: In this context, a pride is a group of lions

*************************************

CLUB 5 - Challenge A

#541
Fixation by

Enfeebled church bells chime
while sanguine gargoyles watch
over our lair.

Don't stare too long.
These sallow eyes can't overpass
your petty beauty.

Necks--mangled-- when auntie
made violent love
to strangers and hurled ebony blood
from their guts so we would hear
desperation echoing

she wanted to believe the sight of
blood would count as nightly sacrifice.

Here we remain,
a symphony of evasive rain-
slippery, sly, hidden,
with only eyes as a keepsake
as we crawl into oblivion.

80 words.

-------------------------------------
#542
Untitled

I met my Missy down by the stables
one forlorn velvet night.
Swept her off her feet, she had exclaimed,
I was the man she long searched for.

Three sweet years later, we prayed for
a little pea to call our own.
With haunting eyes like her dear mother,
she claimed a smile of mine.

Today they live like a picture
hang upon the skull in my head.
Who knew she had a life outside our crib,
a marriage arranged from she was twenty.

Took our girl she did;
beautiful memories eroded by time
like relict joints in weathered limestone.

100 words

--------------------------------------
#543
Safeguard

Rock me to sleep, you're thinking.
I see it in the way you curl like a lost
diary page, crumpled and huddled securely
into a wall corner that is weathered from
the harsh battering of bleeding rain.

Even though my lips form lyrics,
you are my child gone mute,
and I cannot force you to speak
when your heart is silenced and
only of an unknown marble.

Because of him you will never trust
a sightless promise. The only arms you
will accept will be ones rough and bruised
from a lifetime of waiting...

Less than 15 lines.

---------------------------------------------
#544
Faithfully

She wants to scream into every corridor of your soul...
Can't you see, her lingering embrace has shattered every
outlet of any possible daylight.

She is eloquent, yet goes back and forth in her speech,
for who will believe the mountains she must climb
to be understood?

Only her movements are being followed, traced,
mimicked...maybe it is without words that she can
finally leave with a peaceful goodbye.

Telling the world she will leave behind the demons
that have taken over her irises, she has not revealed
to anyone that they won't go away...
they are dark, painful, and stinging.

The water weeping from the sky cannot make her blind,
and will not put a forsaken love back together again.

************************************

CLUB 6 - Challenge B (Rap)

#551
Best I Ever Had

Baby, I had a million lovin' girls before
but it all changed when you walked through the door
Them love songs I wrote made me very sad
Now you're the happy song I never had

Somethin' about your make-up free face
makes me lose my mind, my heart's on a race,
my eyes tell me she's the one, and I go mad
Baby you're the girl, the one I never had

Toi: 'femme fatale'. Them other girls 'sont trop mal'
Don't listen to the rumors, they're all banal
I'mma be with you baby, gimme the key
forever in your heart, I wanna' be

Don't hold me down, don't make me beg
At last I found you, let's break a leg
You're everythin' I wanted, and I want you bad
baby you're the best thing I ever had

--------------------------------
#552
Freedom by Nicky Minaj

Freedom ain't a prison,
there is no restriction
To praise Jesus christ,
to give thanks to life

I feel free, I feel freedom why the mad
I'm here to rap, to express Who I am

I aint a staple for no crime
I ain't like that, justice is not a part time
It's sublime, I stand tall like a flag
My spirit high, holds no lags

I feel free, I feel freedom why the mad
They kiss arse, they think I am bad
Seriously, What's up with peoples mind?
Some lost their glasses, they are blind.

I ain't here to judge, I am no law
But I enjoy a Cole slaw
So here I go, I got some rhymes
i am here to eat, not to waste time.

I feel free, I feel freedom why the mad
If people could see the world is like a tv ad

Everyone follows a scripts
The majority know how to act.
Some do it really bad
But I feel free, I feel freedom why the mad.

I am here to express how I feel, how I am.
Because I feel free, I feel freedom Thats how I am.

I thank God for giving us life.

----------------------------------------------
#553
"Changes" By Tupac Shakur

The agony in life remains still,
after all these years, life is far from a thrill
Waking up daily quickly reminds of the pain
Searching for reasons to live, I'm slowly going insane

I see no changes, ignorance is sort of like a plague
If better days are near, either I'm blind or they're vague
From what I see this whole world is quite sad
destroy lives for money, kids raised without Dad

Where's all the self respect? All I see is self neglect,
dejected youthful minds, trying to fix the wreck
Tell me what'd you expect when the things we obsess,
money and clothes to look fresh, some won't ever possess

To some there's white, black, asian, hispanic, whatever
when will race lose its factor, everyone come together?
Either it's now or it's never cuz the world's dying fast
material objects mean nothing if humanity can't last

-----------------------------------------
#554
Drop the world by lil' Wayne ft. Eminem
(I was working off the beat from the instrumental, so they match up)

Head full of pain, pain turns to stress.
Ice in my veins, hole in my chest.
Am I to blame, for acing the test.
You better up your game, just like the rest.

Better watch out, there ain't be nothin left.
My chit is bulletproof, I don't need a vest.
Careful when you say my name, you should feel blessed.
Even rapped up in these chains, I'm still the mutha'ucken best