PenMuse-31

Prompt:

Sophy’s Quatern

Developed for a contest, Sophy’s Quatern was created for “poetry folly” in which poets were allowed to write poetry at its worst, just for the fun of it (though we need you to write the best while having fun).

It is built this way:

~4 stanzas, 4 lines per stanza
~each line has 10 syllables
~follows the following rhyming scheme: Abab, cAca, adAd, eaeA (the letters in capital are repeated lines)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rain falls down, after a morning of sun (A)
the bright blue sky has disappeared; it’s grey.
Children argue; they don’t have any fun
they have to stay indoors; but will not play.

Hear, a mother screams, a frustrated voice
rain falls down, after a morning of sun. (A)
I close my eyes and sigh, I have no choice
than go on; this, my work, needs to be done.

My husband comes home… boy! He had to run,
too much rain fell on his head, I just smile
…rain falls down, after a morning of sun… (A)
then nod… complaining is just not his style.

The last strokes on my painting, it looks nice
Content I finished what I had begun.
My children play Yahtzee, rolling the dice;
rain falls down, after a morning of sun. (A)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Send in your entries to penmagica@gmail.com as an attachment in a word document (.doc/.docx, any other file will not be published) along with a 2-3 line bio (not required if previously sent).
The subject of your mail should be “Entry for #PenMuse31 (compulsory).
Along with your entry please send a suggested cover for your poem. (please send it as a separate attachment. Make sure it is a stock photo and of high resolution –800 pixels and above). The elves at Penmancy are mighty pleased if a story is accompanied by a cover.

Rules:

Considering the above guidelines, write a Sophy’s Quatern in any topic of your choice. Use this link if you want to count your syllables: howmanysyllables.com/syllable_counter/
The submitted poem must have a title (Keep it simple with no punctuation marks; all words more than 3 letters must be capitalized)
There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit –though only the first submitted poem will be qualified for contention.
Previously published or plagiarised works will not be considered for contention.
Poems found to have been shared on another platform or blog before the declaration of results stand disqualified from the event, and the writer of such content stands to be disqualified for the next Penmancy event.
In case a poem is received after the submission deadline, it shall be considered as a guest entry and shall not qualify for the event.
Entries that don’t follow rules will be published and shared on the page and group but are disqualified for winning.

Winning criteria:

The winner will be chosen on the basis of the judges’ scores (out of 10)
- creativity/content and originality, [12 points]
- coherence of form and structure (harmony of words, presentation), [12 points]
- clarity of imagery and language/grammar, [10 points]
- emotional impact, [10 points]
- topic/relevance to the theme, [6 points]
The entries adjudged by a panel of judges and event organisers shall be binding. Judges’ scores to be deemed final and may not be contested. Final scores are not disclosed to the participants.
All writers are required to read and comment on 5 poems other than their own and encourage their fellow writers with valuable and constructive inputs. Comments like “nice”, “good work”, “brilliant piece”, etc. do not provide the necessary critique and are not helpful for anyone.
Only stories that garnered an average score/rating of 7.5 and above from the panel of judges shall be eligible for winning.
Timelines-
- The last date of submission is June 20, 2021 (Sunday).
- Voting concludes on June 27, 2021 (Sunday).
- Winners shall be announced on June 28, 2021 (Monday).