Triple Crown Challenge ~ with Colleen B
The CPC Triple Crown Challenge
~hosted by Colleen B~
~SPONSORED BY FRIENDBURST~
Challenge your mind and write a great poem in the process! The beauty of nature often inspires a poet in many ways. Take a look at the picture below and see where your mind takes you. You can write in free verse or a structured format such as a sonnet, sestina or etheree, etc…. The choice is solely yours.
- “Autumn Reflections” by Colleen M. Breuning © 2011
But remember, this is a challenge — so there are a few rules that will test you and expand your creative boundaries. You must complete the following three criteria in order to be considered for the CPC Triple Crown Awards. So come on, put on your thinking caps and write a winner! To qualify for the top 3 prizes, you must complete all 3 of these criteria:
1. Write a poem 40 lines or less inspired by the photograph provided by Colleen (above). ”Autumn Reflections”is the photograph that will be used in the September 29, 2011 challenge. Note: if you “click” on the photograph, you will be able to preview and save a copy of the photo with better color saturation. For some reason, the colors do not come out as vividly here on Friendburst as on my Photobucket account! 🙁
2. Use the given phrase somewhere within the poem. It can double as the title to your poem, but the phrase must appear within the body of your poem. This is the phrase for the September 29 challenge: “changes in the air.”
3. Use as many of the given 10 challenge words in the body of your poem as you can. You don’t have to use them all — this is the most difficult part of the challenge. Use enough to enhance your poem, you want it to make sense and you don’t want to force it. If you can use them all and are able to produce a great poem, bonus points for you!
Here are your challenge words:
You can use variations of these words, such as “burning,” “mossy,” or “gradually.” When you post your poem or picture poem in the blog, please indicate that you used all the challenge words. If you did not use them all, list which ones you did. The more you use, the more challenging!
Previously, there were separate awards for picture poems and regular word poems. You can submit either format, but only ONE poem per writer will be considered for the prizes, and ALL rules must be followed to qualify for the following prizes:
FIRST PLACE ~ Will receive a $25 VISA Gift Card and a CPC Triple Crown 1st Place banner to display in their blogs or website.
SECOND PLACE ~ Will receive a signed copy of “Shadows of My Father,” my debut collection of poetry, and a CPC Triple Crown 2nd Place banner to display in their blogs or website.
THIRD PLACE ~ Will receive 1,500 Friendburst Credits redeemable on site and a CPC Triple Crown 3rd Place banner to display in their blogs or website.
PLEASE be sure that you follow all the rules outlined above when writing your poem, 40 lines or less! Depending on the turnout, there may even be some honorable mentions awarded.
This challenge will remain open until midnight on Wednesday, October 5, 2011. Only one submission or entry per poet will be considered. The winners of the contest will be announced at the CPC blog around the middle of October, which is when “Shadows of My Father” is expected to be published. However, please allow an additional 2-4 weeks for shipping. Winner must supply me with their mailing address so that I can ship the book to them. If anybody is interested in obtaining a copy of the book, you can message me. I will make a separate announcement here on Friendburst to let you know when & where the books will be available. 😀
But this blog is not just about the fantastic prizes … if you just want to play along and not compete for the big grand prize, you can post any poem you wish without meeting the criteria. So please, don’t let the rules stop you from creating your own poem. The main objective is to be inspired and to create. Just see where your muse takes you, with or without the help of these pictures, and have some fun with it. Go with your muse’s flow, use your imagination, give it a twist if you like!
Here is my sample poem from a previous challenge on Friendburst, integrating all three elements of the challenge (photograph, phrase “until eternity” and 10 challenge words):
Good luck, poets and friends! Happy writing…..
I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
HUGS,
Colleen Keller Breuning
Many thanks to FRIENDBURST for sponosoring this challenge!
😆
Always such a gorgeous challenge. Thanks so much, Colleen! Looking forward to it.
Here is my example for you Colleen *smiling*
Good evening friends I have been having health isssues and my muse has gone into hybernation but I may try and see what I can come up with Colleen Your photo is Gorgeous, your poem is outstanding and Cheryl you win first place!! Excellent write!! I hope I can meet this challenge….we’ll see!! Warm Smiles and Hugs Sheila A :love: 😀
A challenge with money for the first prize
a poem written with ten certain words
I just had an epiphany
about how I could win it
a mind not fallow
makes sense of words
might prevail
…or burn
cool!
I accept your challenge. 🙂
I’ll try to get back here tomorrow…but is good to know there is more time than that…lol…beautiful pic! :love:
What a wonderful blog Colleen!!! I will have to see what I can pull together for the Challenge!! Sounds like a lot of fun! :love: :love: :love:
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Never Figured Out Who Won Da Last One ???
Sorry Forgot Da Title ~ You Can Delete Th_ 1st One !!!
Colleen such a beautiful picture…my muse is still gone. I have tried to write and nothing comes.
I will try to write something. It is time; Bruce has been gone two years this October…love to you!
Hello Colleen I so enjoyed reading your art…
:love:
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OK… Here we go. My entry is Toro!
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Thanks to Colleen for her lovely picture and tricky set of words, haha, they did give the muse something new to go on!
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Everyone’s entries look wonderful. Congratulations to all the entrants.
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Archived image unavailable
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Toro!
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Black-eyed Senorita swayed so sweetly,
stray hips that entice me, as summer rays
drip to simmer, and springtime days,
slipped away so completely.
Their gradual decay deceives me.
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I sense her hot breath whispering weakly,
of the Sky’s Great Black Bull,
chasing Sun across the sky, killing days,
so tasting moments is all that applies.
But I only heard her rustling thighs,
and ignored the warnings, soft lips sighed.
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The Matador in me screams in raging agony,
at the clot of mortal clay’s
blind pretense of immortality.
Awake but asleep, slip into rippling,
cool-blue eddies, agate sluiced, in translucent bends
in the moss-green streams, the unconscious sends.
The undertow of unpredictability,
always ready to sweep my fallow soul,
through whirlpools, of indignity.
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Although I drift and scheme, a Ponce De Leon
who seeks salvation in fountain rumored,
and instant glory shrieks the distant mountains peaks.
My castle’s foundations are always masoned
on sugar-fine, wine-stained sand basins,
and nestled close by, is a relentless,
surging sea that assails my complacency.
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So when the Black Bull races summer nights away,
and changes in the air prevail,
the Matador shakes his blood-red cape,
and every vestige of hesitate
disappears in a copper-tasting haze.
Summer turns to Fall, and now it’s
Toro’s hot breath that burns and calls.
Senorita’s long-lost warnings
reverberate in epiphany returning.
In this musty arena of dust to dust,
there’s no escape at all.
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Whew! Finally I got a chance to finish my poem and photoshop it. Of course, this is just for your reading pleasure since I am ineligible for the contest, lol. It’s a good challenge for my own muse. And y’all probably thought I wrote my poem FIRST and then picked the challenge words. Nope, I don’t do it that way. I come up with words, phrase and picture FIRST> tee hee
I used all them suckers… understand them or not … I did-it!
Photo by- Colleen M. Breuning-2011
Triple Crown Challenge
CPC
Translucent Skies
By:Mary 2011
Hello Colleen! The photo is gorgeous and I’ll see what I can come up with. I’ll be back! :love:
Do we post our entry here, or do we send it off somewhere, lol…as always, I’m confused :-O
CHANGES IS THE AIR
Moss changes from green to brown
As the seasons goes from hot to cold
It changes from north to south
Are vice a verier south to north
Burn burn does to sun
When it gets so hot it burn your skin
From pink to brown from brown to baked
It you stay to long in the sun it will cook you to ash
Cool is the breeze on my skin
Coolin down from the burnin sun
Gradually as I cool down I gently put my feet on the mossy grass
I feel the coolness between my toes it tickle me enter and makes me laugh
Prevail gradually was I triumph to win
I over come all objective in my way and do succeed
Now I have established that I am mush stronger at my will
To be a much better person at all that attempt and will never fail
Epiphany most christian churches
Have a festival January six to commemorate
The revealing of Jesus as the Christ to be the gentiles in
The persons of the magi at Bethlehem also called the twelfth night
Translucent clear headed
And now transparent I can use my wits
To translate change and to convert one thing to another
Usein interpretation to simplification paraphrase versions of sough
Fallow idle and inactive lea
Underdevelopment unseeded and unused
Fallow land year for the Jews – sabbatical year
Did you know fallow female deer equal to be doe
Sense I have five
Hear in see in smell in teas tin feel in
But do I tent to use all at once I think not
Some of my senses are a sleep as I am now try to think
Vestige evidence of foot print
That was left behind from where I have been
Not to far they were all made in the same place
Walk in to and fro up and down the same hall way
Gradual absorption
Appearance in a film fade in
Cline gradual development and change
For all things there are possibility for hope and peace
Written By: Bettie Davis ———————————- © September 29 , 2o11
Here’s my entry for the CPC Triple Crown Challenge. I used all words and the phrase, and I just wanta say
to Colleen…OMG…that photo is breathtaking…I so would love to live there!!
Always great to see you here hosting (((Cooleen))) once every season or so.
I wrote mine last night but still need to PnP it.
Oh I need to tell you all about this photo. Doesn’t it look like this is an autumn photo from up north somewhere? Well, it ISN’T…. this was taken in January 2011 right here in South Florida, at a little pond near where I shop. In my 24 years living down here in the tropical, balmy south, I have NEVER witnessed any of the leaves changing colors like this!!!! They just stay green all year, and then the oak leaves turn brown and blow off the trees in February or March, but NO COLOR. What was unusual about this particular year is that we got an extremely bizarre series of cold snaps in the winter of 2010. For us, a cold snap means temps in the 40s & 50’s, dipping into the 30’s at night. But it only lasts a day or two, then back up to the 70’s & 80’s. Not last year, the cold would last for weeks & everyone was freaking (except for me). I think the winter season was so cold down here that it affected the deciduous trees later in 2010 and early 2011, causing them to actually go into a real autumn transition.
Any scientists or professors (Bob) that may want to comment on my autumn theory? Unfortunately, it won’t happen this year because we had an extremely HOT winter. So I’ll have to get my autumn color fix when I make my trip up to Michigan, Maryland & Virginia next week!
🙂
Best English Sonnet I’ve ever read, Bob 😉 It’s nice to see some “serious” poetry from one so skilled at comedy 🙂 Excellent-o…Hug’s
Hi Colleen, here is my entry, thank you so much for taking the time to prepare this great event and everyone who makes thing happen. 😉
>>lots of love<<
_Wolfié_
Lovely writes with so much talent. I just can’t keep up. No..not stressing..just wanted all to know your awesome..good luck to yhe winners :love: :love:
Made it back, finally! 🙂 All words and phrase used! :love:
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I will try to submit this again…My entry…using all ten words.
Th Old Man And The Lake
Sitting in cool shade
of an old Oak tree
the old man looks out across the lake
lost in memory
Vestiges of times past
prevail over a fallowed mind
the times he spent upon this lake
and the woman left behind
Many years have passed now
but just like an epiphany
thoughts of her start flowing back
translucent as can be
It was here that he met her
and where his first passion burned
in a bed of moss he became a man..
and where his whole world turned.
Gradually his eyes drift
to the spot where he lost his wife
and the tears flow like the waters
that took away her life
The old man starts to tremble
as he looks across the lake
his body starts to crumble
as his heart begins to break
He senses her presence beside him
and he knows that she is near
but it is hard to hold the shadow
of a woman he held so dear.
Now the sun is setting
He takes one last look around
at the lake in all of it’s beauty
then he rises from the ground.
This will be his last trip here
he won’t be back anymore
tonight he joins the woman he loves
on the other shore.
I was able to utilize all challenge words as well as the challenge phrase in my poem. Dori Wheeler, 30 Blue Echo Road, Apt.. B-2, Red Hook, NY 12571
Beautifully descriptive, and makes one wonder when we lost our appreciation for the Earth we live on..great write, Dori 🙂
lol excellent:mrgreen:
All words and phrase used. (Printed word version only below)
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Changes in the Air
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Summer’s warm breath pushed aside by cool whispers of fall,
Trees burn in splendor as leaves have slowly began to turn.
On a bed of soft green moss I close my eyes and drift away,
One cannot help but sense the coming of changes in the air.
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Burned images of the many forgotten moments of days gone by,
Cloud my thoughts with the bleakness of a sad translucent past.
So many hopes are lost to the fallow dreams of a now idle mind,
As pictures form and fade within the gradual passing of time.
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A hushed stillness prevails over the once chaotic surrounding,
Calming the surface leaving only a vestige of what once was.
In that final moment an epiphany of what life was meant to be,
And with a clearer understanding I follow the changes in the air.
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Dw Harmon
Archived image unavailable
“Autumn Reflections” by Colleen M. Breuning © 2011
WITHIN THE LEAVES OF FALL
I hear the eloquent sounds
of changes in the air,
leaves of gold and crimson
pirouetting to the ground.
I hear the sound of Nature’s soul,
velvet moss clinging to the trees,
afternoon gradually fading
into the cool of this autumn night.
I hear the sun as it dances
upon the edge of the day,
the evening shadows
across the pond,
the only prevailing vestige
of this autumn afternoon.
I can’t help but hear the voice
of Nature as she sings,
transfixed by what I hear,
my senses stirred once more,
within the translucent twilight glow,
of this majestic evening epiphany.
And as the leaves of autumn
float silently from the trees,
and alight there at my feet,
for just a moment
I close my eyes and dream
within the warmth of the fading sun,
in the midst of autumn splendor,
faint breezes of evening
soothing the ragged edges
of emotions tugging at my heart
and burning deep within my soul.
And I marvel once again
at how each falling leaf foretells
the fallow days of winter
and what is yet to come.
As I hear the whisper of the wind
in the silence of the leaves
as they begin to fall,
blanketing this autumn canvas
in a cloak of crimson and gold.
(c) barbara kausteklis 10-3-11
Used all the words.
Very very nice.
A beautiful setting for inspiration, Colleen; thank you for sharing this with us. 😀 And quite a challenging selection of words; somehow, I managed to use them all, yet with somewhat strained variations of useage (e.g., “burnish” instead of “burn”), and sometimes altering perspectives or intentions. Thank you again for taking the time to do this for all of us. Blessings to you and the CPC gang! :love:
:love:
Wonderful challenge! A great amount of talent displayed here by ALL!
I used the given phrase as well as the ten challenge words. Here’s my meager offering…
All such gorgeous pieces posted. Amazing and awesome all.
In case it is not easy to read, here are the words (oh, and by the way, I used all challenge words). Good luck, everyone. Thank you for this great chance to think and write Colleen!
Mother Demeter
by Sophia Maounis
Mother Demeter, put your torch down
for changes in the air can be sensed
Persephone is pacing to her immortal husband
And your maternal desire is soon to be obscured
The first drops of rain on the thirsty, fallowed land
The smell of falling leaves, soil for your hungry heart
A green that gradually dissolves to brown
Lay your sheaves of wheat on the ground, mother
Your translucent tears cannot prevail upon the inescapable truth
As cool moist sprawls over fading moss
Persephone will be shambling away
Streaming burning vestiges to her inevitable fate
Your undying love, mother, an epiphany for all seasons.
Right on Sophia!!! 😀 :love:
We’re posting ours in 5 minutes. please wait for us!! 😳
colleen couldn’t grab your picture hun. 😥
Thank you
This blog is now closed. I’m keeping it open for comments ~ please do not add any ne poems to the contest
Colleen will be back to conduct final judging ~ she has been on travel ~ that’s why the latter poems have not been commented on by her.
Thanks so much for entering this contest!!!
GOOD Luck Poets *smiling* :love: :love: :love: :love:
congradulations to the winners that worked so hard well done love inky