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Show Me Your Prose!

Unofficial challenge

By Harper LewisPublished 4 days ago Updated about 9 hours ago 2 min read
If I had a million dollars

I’ve caught the unofficial challenge bug again, and I have a lot of devious ideas (like my Cthulu’s Challenge: poetry in pig latin, but I’ll probably save that one for next Christmas or some other time when the sweetness gets a bit too cloying for my tastes.

Notice that I forgot to close the parentheses. Now I have to air condition the whole paragraph.

So, what does that harlot Harper have in store here? Let’s have a prose poem contest. Best or worst day of your life.

OR

Do you really want to write a love poem for someone, but it just falls flat when you try to make it rhyme? In a prose poem, throw that out of your mind and focus on the specifics, the sensory things, specific smells, sounds, textures, etc. that you love. At the very worst, you end up with some great notes resonating in your mind when you start obsessing with those end-rhymes everyone loves so much, and you end up rhyming better words

Dazzle me with your language and linguistics, but please do not plague me with cheap end rhyme here; consider these your notes for things to rhyme about --if you're going to rhyme here, you have to sneak it in, like vodka or lsd to a morning pep rally. I mean it better be worth getting caught over, dressed down in front of the class like it's 1983, silent lunch, no recess, all that jazz (avoidance of cheap end rhyme is specifically why I want prose). If it end rhymes, you'll have to defend it in front of the class, who will vote and bribe me to sway my opinion as to whether or not each individual rhymer (not rhyme: you know who you are, I see you whispering and giggling in th corner. Share thr joke withthe class; we all like to laugh.

I’ll send everyone who participates an autographed digital picture of my favorite rock and the winner will receive a virtual trip to the Maldives, all expenses paid. Tempting, no?

Please put a link to my challenge somewhere in your entry, any community you like, and drop a link to your entry in the comments. After February 21, I take ten points off per calendar day. On Valentines Day, I'll post a list of great love quotes and letter links. Leave comments of who your favorite greats are, and I'll find your some off-the beaten track to couple with your own prose list, archive here to resonate for a year, and write a great love poem next year on the fly if you panic.

Not signed, but this is my favorite rock.

AdvicePromptsWriter's BlockChallengeCommunityWriting Exercise

About the Creator

Harper Lewis

I'm a weirdo nerd who’s extremely subversive. I like rocks, incense, and all kinds of witchy stuff. Intrusive rhyme bothers me.

MA English literature, College of Charleston

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  • Paul Stewarta day ago

    Yo. Here. This hurt. https://todaysurvey.today/poets/one-call%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cstyle data-emotion-css="w4qknv-Replies">.css-w4qknv-Replies{display:grid;gap:1.5rem;}

  • To prevent overwhelming myself and also to ensure fair reading, I am going to wait to read the entries. Thank you to everyone who has already created (or selected) something for this. I'm looking forward to getting cozy with the prose in my library (even if my books haven't moved in yet, long story, still cleansing bad energy out of the space).

  • Marilyn Glover6 days ago

    I think I will throw my hat in the ring, Harper!

  • Rain Dayze6 days ago

    Here's mine: https://todaysurvey.today/poets/mm-creamy%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class="css-w4qknv-Replies">

  • Meredith Harmon10 days ago

    What kind of rock?

  • Edward Swafford11 days ago

    I’m in! I’d love the Maldives. Oh wait, it’s virtual 😭😭😭

  • I'll add this to the unofficial challenge list. How long is it running for, as I will be putting together February's soon

  • Paul Stewart11 days ago

    Oh yes baby. I shouldn't partake but you make it so tantalising. Did you ever close up the bloody Mary one? Love the prizes lol. Best or worst day. That's going to be a deeply shit thing to write about. But you know me. Or should be now. Idgaf. So. Yes. Also any excuse to flex the prose synapses and muscles.

  • Aarsh Malik11 days ago

    I love the idea of a prose poem challenge, especially without end rhyme. This should bring out some really interesting voices.

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