Poetry Society of Colorado: Tanka
TANKA (Open)
Deadline: October 20, 2018
Theme: Optional Form: Tanka
Line Limit: 5
Additional prize money ($100 total): First, $50; Second, $30; and Third, $20
MUSTS:
1. The poem must be 31 syllables long.
2. The poem must consist of 5 lines, following the traditional pattern of 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 syllables per line.
3. The poem must be unrhymed.
4. The poem, as is traditional, must incorporate a pivot in the third line, which connects the “upper phrase” (lines 1 and 2), describing a concrete image, to the “lower phrase” (lines 4 and 5), in which the reader learns of the poet’s reaction to the image.
SOME POSSIBILITIES:
1. Titles are optional (not required, but no criticism for adding a title, either).
2. Open subject matter: traditional, non-traditional, and modern subjects welcome.