Last week I announced an “ultraconserved words” poetry contest. (If you missed it, read here.) A quick re-cap: write a poem using 15 of the 23 words that some linguists believe have been around since the end of the last ice age. The words are: I, we, thou, ye, who, this, that, what, mother, male/man, not, worm, bark, hand, ashes, fire, to give, to pull, to spit, to flow, and to hear. Of course you can use any form of the verbs and singular or plural of the nouns.
I’m amending the contest. First, I’m re-naming it a challenge, not a contest. A contest should have a prize, and I don’t have a prize to give. I’ve only received a handful of entries (all wonderful!), and so I’m able to post them all. Also, entries only need to use ten of the words. Fifteen seems a little much, although I’ve been impressed with what people have done so far.
So those are the rules and here’s a deadline: by the end of the day June 1. Sometimes a firm deadline is the best muse.
If you’ve never written a poem before, why not try? Be brave–you’ve got nothing to lose.
Email entries to poemelf@yahoo.com. And look for pictures of your poems posted next week!