Birthday Bash Poetry Contest

This post might be sort of rushed, because I just came up with this birthday bash contest about half an hour ago. In fact, I haven't even sorted out all the details yet but there isn't much time to think. I just need to type, type, type and figure it out as I go, because tomorrow is the big day.

Those who know me well know that though I have a February birthday, mine has already passed. So whose birthday are we celebrating? I'll give you a hint. He wrote one book, two books, three books, four, five books, six book and a whole lot more. He had red books, blue books, yellow, tangerine, and a very famous book about eggs that are green. He wrote rhyming books that brought him great fame. By now you probably all know his name.

That's right. Tomorrow (March 2) is the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss. Other pen-names include Theo LeSieg (LeSieg is Geisel spelled backwards) and Rosetta Stone.

In honor of his birthday, I am holding a poetry writing contest. The rules are as follows:

1. The poem must rhyme. After all, Dr. Seuss is best remembered for his ability to write appealing rhyming stories that both children and adults enjoyed reading.

2. The poem must use one of the following four titles.

     The Pig in the Wig
     The Cow in the Towel
     Goats in Petticoats
     The Mouse and his Spouse

Yes, I know. You could probably think of quite a few more titles, maybe even more exciting ones, but those are the four choices. That means there should be no poems entitled Turkey and the Beef Jerky or The Monkey and his Junkie or The Squirrel and the Epidural. If you do send me something like that, I admit that I will probably take great pleasure in reading your work. However, it will not be eligible for the contest.

Also, the poem itself must focus on the title chosen. By that I mean, if you pick The Pig in the Wig, the poem must revolve around a pig who is wearing a wig. You can't write about a boy who is grumpy all day and his parents use all sorts of failed methods to get him to smile and then in the last few lines have him smile because a pig in a wig goes trotting by. 

3. The poems should be rated PG-13 because my daughter will be one of the judges.

4. There is no restriction on how long or short the poem should be. It doesn't even need to be funny. Though we do love funny. Just make sure it has some sort of rhyme scheme. AND you can enter up to 4 times-- once for each title.

5. The deadline is March 16 (that gives you two weeks) and the winners will be announced by March 31. You may post your poem directly in the comments section of this post or if you prefer to send your poem by email, write "I wish to email my poem" in the comments section and I will contact you regarding how to do so. However, please note by entering the contest you give me permission to post it later, because the winning poems will be made public when I announce the winners.

6. Since I just came up with this idea less than an hour ago, I haven't sorted out the prizes yet, but there were be at least two winners. Since this is a poetry contest and I have several friends with poetry books, I am thinking of providing the winners with a list of books available as prizes (or perhaps non-poetry books as well).For instance, I might send them a list of six books and they each get to pick one. And if all else fails, there is always German chocolate. Of course, if anyone has further ideas for prizes, I am open to suggestions.

7. You don't need to be a follower of my blog to enter, but it sure would make me happy.  :-)

I think that's about it. If I've forgotten any details, feel free to ask.

Now go embrace your inner Seuss and start writing. You can write your poem in your car. You can write your poem at the bar. You can write your poem with a magical gnome or write your poem with your dog at home. You can write with pen and ink. You can type your poem by the sink. You can write your poem here or there. You can write it anywhere. Just write it.

And have fun.